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Apple and Samsung dominate smartphone sales, but new entrants snap at their heels

IDC sees continued strong performance, but challenges from the East

Smartphones
The smartphone market is crowded and buoyant
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Apple and Samsung continue to dominate a well populated smartphone market, according to analyst firm IDC, and account for the bulk of sales. However, it is new entrants that are making their presence most felt.

The latest IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker said 337.2 million smartphones were shipped worldwide in the second quarter of 2015, an increase of around 11 percent on the same period last year when shipments were 302.1 million.

Total mobile phone shipments fell in the quarter, though, from 466.3 million in Q2 2014 to 464.6 million in Q2 2015.

Samsung leads the smartphone sales market, but saw its shipment numbers fall. IDC said that, while older and cheaper Galaxy models performed well, Samsung struggled to meet inventory demands for newer units, including the Galaxy 6 and Galaxy 6 Edge.iPhone 6 is available in silver gold and space grey

Apple shipped 47.5 million iPhones, giving it a 14 percent share of the market. Samsung shipped over 70 million, representing a 22 percent share and the leadership position.

Huawei in third place shipped just shy of 30 million units to take 8.9 percent market share.

The yearly growth rates are perhaps more telling. IDC reported that Samsung shipments fell by 2.3 percent, while Apple's grew by 35 percent and Huawei's by 48 percent. The growth of the latter is part of a wider change in the market, according to IDC.

"While much of the attention is being paid to Apple and Samsung in the top tier, the smartphone market in fact continues to diversify as more entrants hit this increasingly competitive market," said Melissa Chau, senior research manager with IDC's mobile phone team.

"While the Chinese players are clearly making gains this quarter, every quarter sees new brands joining the market.

"IDC now tracks over 200 different smartphone brands globally, many of them focused on entry level and mid-range models, and most with a regional or even single-country focus."

Apple's latest financial results showed strong performance across all divisions, including iPhone sales.

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