A record-breaking number of smartphones shipped in 2Q14
Click the graph to see it at full size.
For the first time ever, more than 300 million smartphones were shipped in a single quarter. The market research and analyst firm IDC stated in their most recent press release that according to their Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker data, smartphone vendors shipped a record-breaking 301.3 million units in the second quarter of 2014. In the same quarter in 2014, smartphone vendors shipped 240.5 million, making this year’s change a 25.3% year-over-year increase.
The chart above is based on the table of 2013 and 2014 smartphone shipments included in IDC’s press release, which we’ve reproduced below:
| Operating System |
2Q14 Shipment Volume |
2Q14 Market Share |
2Q13 Shipment Volume |
2Q13 Market Share |
2Q14/2Q13 Growth |
| Android |
255.3 |
84.7% |
191.5 |
79.6% |
33.3% |
| iOS |
35.2 |
11.7% |
31.2 |
13.0% |
12.7% |
| Windows Phone |
7.4 |
2.5% |
8.2 |
3.4% |
-9.4% |
| BlackBerry |
1.5 |
0.5% |
6.7 |
2.8% |
-78.0% |
| Others |
1.9 |
0.6% |
2.9 |
1.2% |
-32.2% |
| Total |
301.3 |
100% |
240.5 |
100% |
25.3% |
Some of IDC’s observations on the data:
- With almost 85% of the global market share, Android have set a new market share record, doubling their share from a mere three years ago. Samsung account for just under 30% of the Android shipments, a drop from their 40% share two years ago.
- The second quarter is always the slowest for iOS, as they traditionally release a new phone around the end of the third quarter. The tradition is expected to continue this year, with a lot of expectation that Apple will unveil the next iPhone on September 9.
- Windows phone is the “clear number 3 smartphone platform,” to use IDC’s words. IDC reports that while Windows Phone’s shipments for 2014 are down from 2013, but their 2Q14 shipments are an improvement over their 1Q14 numbers.
- With less than 1% market share, it’s time for even the most resilient of BlackBerry holdouts to face the fact that theirs is no longer a viable platform.
It’s an Android/iOS world; we just live in it
Based on IDC’s numbers, the combined share of Android and iOS is 96.4% this quarter, leaving the remaining players to fight over the remaining 5.6%. Android and iOS were the only mobile operating systems to see year-over-year growth this quarter, with Android shipments up 33%, and iOS shipments up nearly 13%. Every other OS vendor lost share between this year and last.
Lenovo sells more mobile devices than PCs, becomes the world’s number 4 smartphone vendor
You’d never know it from their US site, pictured below, which appears to be solely focused on PCs and servers…
…but Lenovo now sells more mobile devices than PCs. In fact, they’re the number 4 smartphone vendor, according to IDC, who published this data in there Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report:
| Vendor |
2Q14 Shipment Volume |
2Q14 Market Share |
2Q13 Shipment Volume |
2Q13 Market Share |
2Q14/2Q13 Growth |
| Samsung (Android) |
74.3 |
25.2% |
77.3 |
32.3% |
-3.9% |
| Apple (iOS) |
35.1 |
11.9% |
31.2 |
13.0% |
12.4% |
| Huawei (Android) |
20.3 |
6.9% |
10.4 |
4.3% |
95.1% |
| Lenovo (Android) |
15.8 |
5.4% |
11.4 |
4.7% |
38.7% |
| LG (Android) |
14.5 |
4.9% |
12.1 |
5.0% |
19.8% |
| Others |
135.3 |
45.8% |
97.5 |
40.6 |
38.7% |
Most of Lenovo’s smartphone sales are in China, where they’re the number one smartphone vendor. They aim to change that with the assistance of their recent purchase of Motorola, who’ve been releasing some impressive yet inexpensive smartphones, such as the Moto G and Moto E (which we raved about back in May).
For more, here’s the Wall Street Journal’s Yun-Hee Kim talking to IDC analyst Brian Ma about Lenovo’s next big ambition: to expand their presence in North America and Europe and take on Apple and Samsung:
Thanks to Phil Caruso, GSG’s Director, Channel Programs for the heads-up!
