Gartner: Smartphones Grow in Q3 2017

According to Gartner global smartphone sales total 383 million units in Q3 2017-- a 3% Y-o-Y increase with all top 5 vendors achieving double-digit growth with the exception of Apple, whose growth clocks at 5.7% Y-o-Y.

W. European sales total 36m thanks to growing demand for premium smartphones from top brands. However, the territory lags behind the likes of Greater China, emerging APAC and N. America.

Gartner q3 2017 smartphones sales

Leading the vendor rankings is Samsung with sales reaching 85m, a 19.3% Y-o-Y increase. The Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8 models are main sales drivers, helping the Korean compete against Chinese manufactures. The double-digit growth is the first since Q4 2015.

Meanwhile Q3 2017 Apple sales are up by 5.7%, the result of a return to growth in Chine and "strong" sales of legacy iPhones (such as the iPhone 5S) in India and other emerging markets. Xiaomi follows with the strongest growth (80% Y-o-Y) through international markets, including Russia, India and Latin America.

In 4th and 5th place are two other Chinese vendors, Oppo and Xiaomi, who along with other companies from the country continue to drive sales across emerging markets with midtier and budget devices offering 4G connectivity and better cameras.

"The arrival of Apple's new flagship iPhones at the end of Q3 2017 has delayed smartphone purchases into Q4 2017," Gartner concludes. "Following compelling offers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the holiday season will likely boost sales of smartphones before the end of the year. We estimate the Q4 smartphone sales will boost total sales for the full year. We expect smartphone sales will reach 1.57 billion units in 2017."

Go Gartner Market Share Alert: Preliminary, Mobile Phones WW Q3 2017