Smartphone Shipments To SEA To Reach 100 Mln Units This Year

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 (Bernama) -- Smartphone shipments to Southeast Asia is expected to reach about 100 million units this year, registering a 21 per cent increase from 83 million in 2014. This is supported by established smartphone vendors defending their turf against new and existing China and local vendors, as well as new mobile innovations in the industry, according to International Data Corporation in a statement here Monday. According to the IDC Asia/Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report, total smartphone shipments in the region reached about 24 million units in the first quarter of 2015 (1Q15), posting a year-over-year growth of 65.6 per cent. IDC attributed the higher 1Q15 growth to smartphones with four generation (4G) capability, which grew to 25 per cent of the total smartphone market share, compared with 16 per cent in the 1Q14. Market analyst for IDC's Client Devices team in Malaysia Jensen Ooi said there had been significant growth in smartphones since the availability of cheaper makes in the market, most of which came from China and local vendors. "As of 1Q15, smartphones accounted for about three-fifths of the total mobile phone market share as opposed to 1Q14, when feature phones held that same larger share," he added. IDC is a global provider of market intelligence, advisory services and events for the information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets. -- BERNAMA