EMEA Smartphone Markets Hit Record Value Despite Global Slowdown

The EMEA region's smartphone market showed some stability in the first quarter of 2018 in unit terms, while its value grew to exceed its previous first quarter peak result in 1Q15, according to IDC. The total value of smartphone sales was $29.967 billion, and unit volume was 86.523 million.

The Western European market continues to contract, and so, perhaps surprisingly, does that in Africa. The Western European smartphone total dropped to 29.213 million in the quarter, 8.2% down on the year before, while that in Africa was 4.4% down. In comparison the Middle East market was 1.5% up and the market in Central Europe was up 5.6%.

Samsung is maintaining its smartphone market leadership across all of EMEA, though it has a smaller share in Africa than elsewhere. Meanwhile second-placed Huawei is gaining in Europe, and rising strongly in the Middle East. Both vendors are looking over their shoulders on how quickly Xiaomi will become a serious new rival.

IDC predicts that the smartphone market will approach 370 million smartphones in EMEA in 2018, a forecast volume which has been trimmed modestly against the previous forecast a quarter ago. However, the smartphone value forecast has increased, to $120 billion, a recovery to the highest level in the region, back in 2015.