China is once again the largest smartphone market by sales volume.
According to Strategy Analytics (via the Financial Times), 38.5 million smartphones were shipped in China last quarter, down slightly from the second quarter, but still accounting for nearly one-fourth of global shipments.
Even with the blistering sales growth over the past year, the Chinese market still has huge upside because it is relatively underpenetrated. Although China is set to become the largest smartphone market by installed base next year, overtaking the U.S., only 12 percent of the Chinese population owns an Android or iOS device.
(Factoring in other platforms, smartphone penetration is higher, but the point is— headroom still exists.)
Android owns the Chinese market, controlling up to a 90 percent market share by some accounts, although it appears iOS has a stronger foothold in the wealthier, urban areas.
Among manufacturers in China, Samsung remains the largest, but it is starting to feel pressure from domestic competitors like Lenovo, Huawei, and ZTE.
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