The iPhone X remained the best-shipping smartphone in Europe during the first quarter of 2018. The new numbers are from the latest data from Canalys (via 9to5Mac).
Canalys notes the iPhone X’s numbers are fairly impressive in the face of “smartphone fatigue” in Europe, where people appear to be resisting the allure of new flagship smartphone models.
Smartphone fatigue hit Europe in Q1 2018, as shipments fell 6.3% year on year, the biggest ever drop in a single quarter. Western Europe bore the brunt, down 13.9% with 30.1 million units shipped […]
Apple outperformed the market and shipped over 10 million units, but this still represented a 5.4% decline. As a percentage of models shipped, the iPhone X declined slightly from Q4, to around 25%, but it remained comfortably the best-shipping smartphone in the region.
Premium brands are facing a challenge in the marketplace, as users are holding onto their devices for a longer period of time, and are opting for cheaper model smartphones when they do replace their older device.
Flagship smartphone features have been increasingly commoditized by budget brands, which are bringing these specifications to the mid-market. The likes of Honor, Wiko and Xiaomi have been instrumental in driving growth in specifications such as dual and triple cameras, which grew over 150% on the previous year. Smartphone screens also continued to increase in size, with shipments of smartphones with screens larger than 5.5″ growing over 50%. The commoditization of 18:9 aspect ratio screens has been a catalyst for this growth.
Apple’s three cheaper models – the iPhone SE, 6 and 6S – made up 25% of iPhone sales, not bad for models more than two years old.