Smartphone Shipment Down 5% in 4Q18

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Samsung saw smartphone volumes decline 5.5% in 4Q18 with total shipments of 70.4 million units. While this was enough to maintain the top position for the quarter, its share once again fell below 20% to 18.7%, just a few points above Apple and Huawei. Things weren't much better for the full year as 2018 volumes were down 8% to 292.3 million. With a barrage of 5G smartphones right around the corner, it will be interesting to see if Samsung has enough in the tank to weather the competitive environment and maintain the top spot in the market.

Apple saw iPhone volumes drop 11.5% in 4Q18 marking one of the more challenging iPhone quarters in terms of growth, despite the three new models. Total iPhone volumes were down 3.2% for the full year, which is understandable considering its two largest markets (the United States and China) both experienced the worst year for smartphone performance ever. Apple is certainly not out of the game, but the likelihood of not having a 5G iPhone in 2019 means it will need to tell a strong iPhone and, more importantly, ecosystem story to succeed. If anyone can do it, it is Apple. But it certainly won't be easy when faced with all the other downward market pressures.

Huawei continued to capitalize on strong momentum in some markets with 4Q18 volumes up 43.9% year over year and 2018 volumes up an impressive 33.6%. Huawei continues to see growing success from its Honor line of devices, which are now representing close to half of its overall volume. China represents about half of Huawei's smartphone business, but that is dropping as the company continues its international success with growth in almost every international market where they participated in 2018.

OPPO finished 4Q18 in the fourth position with full-year shipments of 113.1 million, up 1.3% from 2017. While the growth wasn't as high as in past years, growth is still a feat given current market conditions, especially for a company that still does most of its business in China. India and Indonesia continue to be OPPO's largest focus markets outside of China with ongoing success from its A-series devices.

Xiaomi rounded out the top 5 in 4Q18 with full-year shipments up 32.2% year over year and volumes surpassing the 100 million market. Like OPPO, India and Indonesia continue to be the focus markets outside of China. However, Xiaomi has done exceptionally well in a few markets in Western Europe, most notably Spain. Its Redmi series devices continue to lead in emerging markets, but its Mi Mix/Max/Pro devices are increasingly becoming flagship contenders with attractive price points.

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