This growth was driven by increased sales in smartphones, particularly in emerging markets, and gains made by market challengers. In the first quarter of 2010, 310.5 million units were shipped which increased to 371.8 million in the first quarter of this year.
The top five mobile vendors – Nokia, Samsung, LG Electronics, Apple and ZTE – all increased their market share in the first quarter of 2011 compared to 2010, except LG Electronics which decreased by 9.6%. Apple made the greatest leap in terms of market share delivering 8.7 million shipments in Q1 2010 and 18.7 million in Q1 2011, a change of 114.9%.
The increased use and sale of smartphones worldwide aided the overall lift in the market to a new first quarter high with growth particularly evident in emerging markets.
