Gartner: Smartphone shipments fail to impress in Q4 2018

21 February 2019
Growth is just 0.1% on a yearly basis, Apple sold 12% fewer devices in the last 12 months.

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  • DLLM
  • 5Mb
  • 23 Feb 2019

Anonymous, 21 Feb 2019The main reason that China people buy less Apple iPhone, ... moreYou are right for number 3 only.

IPhone X came out in Q4 2017 while iPhone XS released in Q3 2018 so some of sales lost right there. Rich Chinese don’t buy the Q4 released iPhone XR, and lower class Chinese can’t even afford iPhone XR.

Also, lower class Chinese bought less iPhone because Xiaomi Huawei Oppo vivo are heavily promoting their smartphones every where, especially tv shows. This tactic first destroyed Samsung and slowly, as Chinese smartphones look more and more like iPhones with good midrange performance for the price, it finally stole market shares from apple in 2018. iPhone XR was supposed to be for them, but they ignored it completely.

Price has never been an issue in China. Rich Chinese people like to show off and buying an iPhone is one of the way. Apple did lose the « sell kidney for iphone » customer’s though.

    Phones keep getting expensive. so they all lose market share and replace with new players like Mi

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • PA7
      • 22 Feb 2019

      At least Number still increase, but non of top sales have something new to over custumers.
      in other hands custumers bought copypaste phone, make manufacture wont put big RnD

        • K
        • Kuba
        • jiW
        • 22 Feb 2019

        simply dont buy new flagships and the prices will fall down. or wait year or so.
        currently using Essential phone with SD835 and its perfect, for....130USD second hand!!! show me better deal :)
        I live in china and its sad seeing people earn 850USD/ months and still buy new iPhone because its a status symbol. but less and less people do that, only low level workers who want to show off.

          Anonymous, 21 Feb 20191.11 million is one million onehundred thousand onehundred.... moreWell writing "one" as "0.001" thousands is a bit odd...
          And writing say 1000 as 0.001 millions is similarly odd

          "407.845 millions" would be more natural to write as 407,845 thousands (as the source actually do...), or perhaps not with three decimals (the source had four...)

          ...But the table in the article has been changed since my comment.... so now it is not odd any more, with the two decimals.

            • S
            • Shogun
            • rW%
            • 22 Feb 2019

            US-China trade war and the ridiculous price of Iphone are the two mains reason why Apple is losing market in China. The bad new is that they are unlikely to recover.

              • B
              • Bewildered
              • 39x
              • 21 Feb 2019

              abigfanoftechs, 21 Feb 2019This is not a good sign for the Galaxy S10 phones.Many people are smart, I don't see the reason to update every year or now every 2 years.

              Even if all the specs double now, it would still be a 4G phone not upgradeable to 5G

              I don't know if 5G will push the price of 4G phones down but I expect that there will be more mid range phones with Snapdragon 845 SoC i.e more premium Pocophone similar specs with a more premium feel

              Flagship phones can be held past two years, but to buy a 4G phone now when you have a flagship is to delay 5G by 2 years

              Some with older phones can invest in 4G now if it is a serious step up

              This slow down could be a collective wait for 5G with Huawei and other Chinese manufacturers still benefiting.

              Apple seem to think high prices equate to premium

              I find Apple an enigma, until they show regular sales fall do not write them off, it is the sheer number of school children that have iPhones.

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                • Dan
                • 2Wn
                • 21 Feb 2019

                We're entering the age of excess performance on smartphones. Many users use their cellphones for calling, texts, instant messengers, social media, e-mail, surfing, YouTube etc. Flagship phones are not needed for these commom tasks.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • mQR
                  • 21 Feb 2019

                  DarK, 21 Feb 2019i hope that it decline more so that it forces big mobile br... moreAnd to make smartphones comfortable to use again. You flood the market with phablets, you reap the result when the hype goes down.

                    Apple has always been the biggest loser. Ha!

                      • s
                      • sa
                      • 3iY
                      • 21 Feb 2019

                      Maybe because there is no at every corner Huawei/Honor, Oppo, vivo, Xiaomi stores in the US.. The reason is still unknown :}

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • 3J9
                        • 21 Feb 2019

                        If trends continue, Huawei will be no 1 smartphone maker in the world by 2020.

                        Cant wait to see their Foldable 5G phone

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • fxT
                          • 21 Feb 2019

                          The main reason that China people buy less Apple iPhone,

                          1. Apple continue to over price the new iPhone Xs Max, thus Chinese think Apple just wanted to keep same annual profit with lesser phone, they think Apple are a conman company now.

                          2. iPhone Xs series inherent same old "Forever iPhone 6" design trick that used for 2 years now, so many Chinese wasn't impress by the "new" phone anymore.

                          3. America against China trade war, America against China brands war, this make many Chinese hating and boycott America brand products

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • 0w2
                            • 21 Feb 2019

                            EskeRahn, 21 Feb 2019Note the odd unit: decimal-millions1.11 million is one million onehundred thousand onehundred... whats so odd about it?

                              This is not a good sign for the Galaxy S10 phones.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • gLN
                                • 21 Feb 2019

                                it would be nice if they actually split the 'other' so we can see all brands

                                  • DarK
                                  • 7%$
                                  • 21 Feb 2019

                                  i hope that it decline more so that it forces big mobile brands to lower their stupid prices

                                    AnonD-819322, 21 Feb 2019Us people don't have issues with our current smartphones, s... moreExactly. They are fantastic already

                                      This year shipments will decline even more because phones prices are getting crazy expensive and people are getting smarter and holding onto they previous devices ,because of the minor upgrades they are offering ,just my opinion

                                        Note the odd unit: decimal-millions