November 15, 2018
Stability in EMEA Smartphone Market Masks Regional Disparities, Says IDC
LONDON, November 15, 2018 — Volumes dropped by nearly 5% in the EMEA smartphone market in the third quarter compared with the same quarter in 2017, but market value was up more than 10% over the year, according to International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. Total market volumes were 89 million for a value of $29.8 billion at retail prices before sales taxes.
The strong performance masked marked regional variations, said Simon Baker, a program director for mobile devices at IDC EMEA. The Middle East and Africa market slumped both in volumes and value, he said, with the slump in oil prices adding to declining exchange rates in many countries. Meanwhile Europe performed strongly, both in the West and in Central Europe; further East the Russian market showed continuing vitality.
In value terms the core European market (the EU, the EEA, and Switzerland) was worth nearly a quarter more than in 3Q17, approaching $19 billion at retail prices before sales tax and VAT. Baker said that while there is a trend toward more expensive smartphones in most countries around the world as people use them more, the rise is more emphatic in Europe than anywhere else except the U.S., despite the relatively sluggish economic environment across most of Europe.
Stability in EMEA Smartphone Market Masks Regional Disparities, Says IDC
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