Smartphone shipments across the world have set a new record with over 1 billion units shipped throughout 2013, indicating the growing interest in the mobile sector, IDC finds.
According to the International Data Corporation's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, global smartphone shipments have crossed the one billion mark in a single year, up from the 725.3 million devices shipped in 2012. To be precise, vendors across the world shipped a total of 1,004.2 million smartphones.
The new milestone promises a strong year ahead for leading and emerging smartphone makers. According to IDC, smartphone purchase was the favorite choice among mobile shoppers, with 55.1 percent of all mobile phone shipments accounting for smartphones, up from 41.7% of all mobile phone shipments in 2012. The new numbers show an ever-increasing demand for smartphones, but the normal mobile phones without any advanced features, have not yet lost ground. The total number of mobile phone shipments including smartphones in 2013 raked up to 1,821.8 million units, up 4.8 percent from 1,738.1 million in 2012.
"The sheer volume and strong growth attest to the smartphone's continued popularity in 2013," Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team, said in a press release. "Total smartphone shipments reached 494.4 million units worldwide in 2011, and doubling that volume in just two years demonstrates strong end-user demand and vendor strategies to highlight smartphones."
Samsung took the lead over other manufacturers by shipping the maximum number of smartphones, accounting for 31.3 percent market share with 313.9 million units shipped in 2013. The major selling point for the Korean tech giant was the budget-friendly mid-range and entry-level smartphones and high-end entries like the Galaxy SIII, S4 and Note lineup.
Apple held a significant amount of share in the smartphone segment, but not more than its rival Samsung. The Cupertino-based company's success was mainly driven by the sales of its two latest entries, iPhone 5S and 5C, and also its deal with China Mobile to sell iPhones on the world's largest wireless networking carrier. The company sold 153.4 million units throughout 2013.
Other companies including Huawei, Lenovo and LG also helped the smartphone sales. Huawei managed to push 48.8 million units, while LG and Lenovo shipped 47.7 million and 45.5 million units in 2013.
