According to a new report from the analyst firm Canalys, smartphone shipments hit a five-year low in the first quarter of 2019 in North America. From January to March, 36.4 million handsets were shipped, which is an 18 percent decline from the year-ago quarter. Apple also saw its year-over-year shipment decline by 19 percent, but the silver lining is that the company had the lion’s share of the market.
Samsung’s Galaxy S10e and Galaxy S10 Plus Helped the Korean Giant Clinch the Number-Two Position in the North American Market for the Same Quarter
According to Canalys’ estimates, Apple sold around 14.6 million iPhones in North America in Q1 2019, out of which 4.5 million were the iPhone XR and the relatively inexpensive phone was the top-selling handset in the region in the first three months of the year. The phone accounted for 13 percent of the total smartphone sales in North America and the Cupertino giant enjoyed a 40 percent market share in the continent.
Commenting on the company’s performance, Canalys said that after enjoying robust shipments of the flagship iPhones in the previous quarter, Apple saw sales decline because of a disconnect between channel orders and demand from consumers. However, shipments showed some sign of recovery in March, which the analytics firm believes was a result of trade-in offers and discounts on older iPhones. The research firm also believes that the main challenge for the company is the lack of new features on the 2018 iPhones and says that to lure customers; the 2020 models must have radical new features.
Unlike Apple, Samsung saw its year-over-year sales increase by 3 percent in Q1 2019 in North America. The recently released Galaxy S10 Plus and the Galaxy S10e were named as two of the most popular models, with each making up 6 percent of the total shipments. The company managed to ship 10.7 million handsets and grabbed a market share of 29.3 percent. LG, on the other hand, saw its sales decrease by 24 percent.
It sold 4.8 million devices and captured a market share of 14.4 percent. Lenovo saw a whopping 42 percent increase in its shipments during the quarter, which gave it a market share of 6.5 percent. TCL grabbed the fifth spot with 4 percent of the market, presumably because of BlackBerry.
Apple is expected to release an iPhone XR successor later this year, equipped with a dual-camera setup at the back instead of a single shooter, along with an improved Face ID system and powerful hardware. It should be noted that this version has been rumored to be the latest model that will feature an LCD screen.
News Source: Canalys
