A new report about global smartphone shipments in Q2 2017
claims Samsung's growth rate was relatively flat, however Apple saw a 2 percent
increase in shipments year-on-year. This growth in the quarter that saw the
launch of the Samsung Galaxy S8 bucked the trend ahead of the hotly anticipated
launch of the iPhone 8.
According to the report by market research firm Canalys,
Samsung managed to sell 79 million smartphones in the second quarter, whereas
last year it sold 80 million, seeing a slight dip. This flat growth rate is
attributed to the high prices of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in the
Android segment. Samsung had a lot of hopes from the Galaxy S8 to outperform
this year, especially after the big Galaxy Note 7 fiasco that attracted huge
losses for the company. But the shipments only barely met with last year's
second quarter results, the report indicates, pointing the smartphone's high
price and how that may have tested the bounds of the Android smartphone market.
Even with the flat growth rate, Samsung still retains the
top spot, with Apple coming in second selling 41 million smartphones in the
second quarter. The report claims that there is a 2 percent increase in
shipments from last year's second quarter results. In Q2 2016, Apple managed to
sell 40 million units. This increase in shipments is significant, as no new
smartphone was launched by Apple in the second quarter, whereas its competitor
Samsung launched the Galaxy S8 series. Also, the arrival of the tenth
anniversary edition iPhone 8 this fall, and the anticipation building around
it, did not stop customers from buying iPhones currently.
"Shipments of the [Galaxy] S8 have been strong in some
regions, but there are signs that demand has been overestimated. Canalys'
channels research has revealed inventory buildup in Europe, which when combined
with discounting in the US, indicates Samsung may be testing the limits of
Android smartphone pricing. As Apple looks to refresh the iPhone, even with its
unique user experience, it too must justify any significant price increases
with tangible improvements to both feature set and design," Canalys Senior
Analyst Tim Coulling said in a statement.
Overall smartphone shipments in the world saw an increase of
almost 4 percent year on year, despite a decline in big markets like India and
China. Over 340 million smartphones were sold in total during the second
quarter, and the third spot, after Apple, was taken surprisingly by Huawei. It
managed a growth rate of 20 percent with 38 million units shipped in Q2. Last
year in Q2, Huawei managed to sell 31 million smartphones. Oppo secured the
fourth spot with 44 percent growth in shipments, while Xiaomi had the highest
growth rate at 52 percent.
