China overtakes the US in Q1 smartphone shipments

Latest Canalys figures reveal the two countries' roles have reversed, with China now accounting for 22 per cent of all global smartphone sales

China has overtaken the US as the biggest market for smartphones, according to Canalys’ first-quarter figures.

Total smartphone shipments for the quarter grew 45 per cent to 146 million units, but in the US the rise was just five per cent, compared with 81 per cent in Asia-Pacific.

Specifically, shipments in China doubled and overtook those in the US for the first time. China represented 22 per cent of global smartphone shipments in the quarter, compared with 16 per cent for the US.

A year ago the figures were the other way around, Canalys claimed. Of the top 10 countries for smartphones, half are now in the Asia-Pacific region, the analyst said.

Nicole Peng, Canalys research director for China, said: “As well as seasonal factors such as the lunar new year, the iPhone’s arrival at two of the country’s carriers helped boost volume and raise Apple’s share to 19 per cent.”

But Samsung led the way, with its smartphone share in China standing at 22 per cent, Canalys revealed. “Samsung expanded its smartphone business substantially through its existing mobile phone channels. Its wide range of localised devices helped increase uptake across all carriers, and it combined this with significant marketing spend to drive consumer awareness.”

Nokia dropped to third place in China, with local vendors such as ZTE, Huawei and Lenovo all snapping at the heels of the top three. Peng noted that the competition is not all based on price.

“A key facet of Huawei’s brand strategy for 2012 is to move up and compete in higher-value devices and services," she said. "It is developing a clearer marketing proposition that, combined with its cloud services, will prove more attractive to consumers in China.”

Canalys also revealed that two thirds of the smartphones shipping in China in Q1 were based on Android, and more than a quarter of all Android smartphone shipments globally are in China.