The smartphone market share chart by IDC for Q2 2014 indicates troubled times for Samsung, Apple and LG.
Samsung, the largest devices vendor, smartphone share dipped to 25.2 percent in Q2 2014 from 32.3 percent in Q2 2013.
Apple share in the global smartphone market slipped to 11.9 percent from 13 percent.
Samsung shipped 74.3 million (77.3 million) smartphones, while Apple shipped 35.1 million (31.2 million).
Huawei, LG and Lenovo are the other top three smartphone vendors. ZTE and Sony are not part of the top 5 list of smartphone vendors.
LG’s share dipped to 4.9 percent from 5 percent. Huawei and Lenovo increased their share to 6.9 percent and 5.4 percent from 4.3 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively.
Huawei has overtaken Lenovo and LG as the third largest smartphone vendor as compared with their position in the second quarter of 2013.
The worldwide smartphone market grew 23.1 percent year over year in the second quarter of 2014, establishing a new single quarter record of 295.3 million shipments.
Smartphone vendors
IDC said Samsung saw the Galaxy S5 ship millions of units this quarter, despite the criticisms leveled at it, while S4 and even S3 volumes remained strong as more affordable alternatives. Collectively Samsung lost 7 percent market share compared to a year ago, despite having one of the largest smartphone portfolios of all OEMs.
Apple enjoyed continued success in the BRIC markets, a good sign that it is building its footprint in emerging markets.
Huawei’s story centered on 4G LTE pick up, particularly in China, as all three national carriers subsidized 4G handsets like the P7 to encourage consumers to upgrade from 3G. Outside of China, large volumes of its lower-cost Y series fueled growth across most regions.
Lenovo had a record quarter in China despite pressure from local brands. Lenovo saw increased success from the A788T, as well as the 3G A388T. While less than 5 percent of Lenovo’s shipments were registered outside of China, this share nearly tripled in 2Q14, with emerging markets, particularly BRIIC countries, picking up the largest volumes.
LG volumes were largely driven by its L series, helped by models like the L70, which performed well in many markets including the United States. With the G3 launched at the end of the quarter in Korea, greater volumes are expected to show up in the third quarter.
