The US market is experiencing the launch of a slew of 4G phones. Q1 2011 marked the first full quarter of LTE smartphone shipments, following Verizon’s 4G network launch in December 2010. Canalys estimates that shipments of these devices reached over 600,000 units.
The popularity of 4G-branded models, such as the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, HTC EVO Shift 4G and the T-Mobile myTouch 4G, heavily influenced US market shipments this past quarter.
We are starting to see some significant benefits from marketing high-speed networks to consumers in the US, as end users become more familiar with the performance and technical aspects of their smart phones. It’s a trend that will inevitably spread around the world over the coming years as carriers upgrade their network infrastructures”, said said Chris Jones, vice president and principal analyst at Canalys.
The US remained the largest country for smart phone shipments, with Apple substantially extending its lead, achieving a share of 31 percent and growth of over 150 percent year on year.
Volumes were boosted significantly by shipments of the iPhone 4 with Verizon Wireless. Android remained the leading smart phone platform in the US for the third consecutive quarter, with a 49 percent share. Growing by well over 200 percent, HTC became the leading Android vendor in the US and the second-place smart phone vendor in the country overall.
Shipments of its EVO series, Inspire 4G and Thunderbolt enhanced HTC’s strong performance in this quarter. The vendor has a wide and regularly refreshed portfolio, covering multiple network technologies, which puts it in a strong position both in the US and worldwide.
By TelecomLead.com
editor@telecomlead.com
