New data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker reveals that vendors shipped a total of 337.2 million smartphones worldwide in the second quarter of 2015 (2Q15).
All told, that’s an impressive 11.6% jump from the 302.1 million units in 2Q14.
IDC notes that the 2Q15 shipment volume represents the second highest quarterly total on record.
“The overall growth of the smartphone market was not only driven by the success of premium flagship devices from Samsung, Apple, and others, but more importantly by the abundance of affordable handsets that continue to drive shipments in many key markets,” says Anthony Scarsella, Research Manager with IDC’s Mobile Phone team.
Although premium handsets sold briskly in developed markets, it was emerging markets, supported by local vendors, driving the momentum that heavily contributed to the second highest quarter of shipments on record, the respected research giant explains.
“As feature phone shipments continue to decrease, vendors will continue to attack both emerging and developed markets with competitive smartphones that are both rich in features and low in price,” added Scarsella.