IDC: Europeans are buying less expensive smartphones

Europeans have recently started buying less expensive smartphones, analysts agency IDC has calculated. The number of smartphones delivered on the continent dropped a bit. Apple and Samsung achieved less market share, Huawei was on the rise.

The average price a European paid for a smartphone in Western Europe fell, while that in Eastern Europe remained the same, says IDC. In addition, a Western European still spends on average twice the amount on a smartphone compared to someone from Eastern Europe.

Total smartphone shipments to the continent were down 2.7 percent to 53 million units, IDC says. Apple, in particular, lost market share; it delivered nearly 23 percent fewer smartphones in the first months of 2019 compared to the same period in early 2018. The other big loser is HMD, which is licensed under the Nokia brand name. Deliveries of those smartphones dropped even more by 32 percent.

Huawei was the big winner, growing 66 percent to a position just behind market leader Samsung. The figures are from before the trade ban that the US imposed on US companies, preventing them from trading with Huawei. That may also affect deliveries in Europe, as smartphones will no longer be able to get Android upgrades here, and new models may not come out due to a lack of Google services.

IDC does not expect 5g to convince many consumers that a new smartphone is necessary in the coming years. For now, the range of 4g networks is much better than 5g, so many people see no need for an upgrade. That was different with the step from 3g to 4g; 4g not only offered much more capacity, but also better range than the old network due to the use of lower frequencies.