The fourth quarter 2015 saw the highest-ever number of smartphone shipments to China, according to a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC).
During the quarter, IDC said 117.3 million smartphones were shipped to China, representing eight percent growth for the period year over year. The boost was partially driven by the country’s annual singles day online shopping holiday in November and Huawei’s healthy shipments during the quarter, the IDC said.
According to IDC, the top three smartphone brands in China have changed significantly over the last two years from Samsung, Lenovo and CoolPad in 2013 to Xiaomi, Huawei and Apple in 2015.
Huawei proved to be the big winner, IDC said, with significant year-over-year gains in both shipments and Average Selling Prices (ASPs). Additionally, IDC said the up and coming smartphone maker’s increasing number of flagship devices in the $200-$500 price range delivered a blow to Samsung’s shipments of both mid-range and high-end devices.
This impact is expected to continue, IDC said.
But the fourth quarter shipment boom, however, isn’t expected to last.
“IDC expects the smartphone growth in China to be flat in 2016, and this is largely due to the maturing market rather than the slowing economy,” said Tay Xiaohan, a Senior Market Analyst with IDC Asia/Pacific’s Client Devices team. “Despite the economic headwinds, we expect major vendors such as Apple and Huawei to continue to do well in 2016 as consumers seek more sophisticated products.”
Filed Under: Devices
