According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics Smartphone Model Tracker (SMT) service, global smartphone shipments reached 345 million units in Q1 2018. Despite fears of expensive pricing, Apple iPhone X was the world’s best-selling smartphone model, shipping an impressive 16 million units during the quarter. Xiaomi Redmi 5A and Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus were the world’s top-selling Android smartphone models.
Global total smartphone shipments reached 345.4 million units in Q1 2018. The top-six most popular models together accounted for 1 in 7 of all smartphones shipped worldwide during the quarter.
We estimate the Apple iPhone X shipped 16.0 million units and captured 5 percent marketshare worldwide in Q1 2018. For the second quarter running, the iPhone X remains the world’s most popular smartphone model overall, due to a blend of good design, sophisticated camera, extensive apps, and widespread retail presence for the device. Apple has now shifted almost 50 million iPhone X units worldwide since commercial launch in November 2017. The Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus shipped 12.5 and 8.3 million units, respectively, for second and third place. The previous-generation iPhone 7 shipped a respectable 5.6 million units for fourth place. Combined together, Apple today accounts for four of the world’s six most popular smartphone models.
We estimate Xiaomi Redmi 5A shipped 5.4 million units for fifth place and 2 percent marketshare worldwide in Q1 2018. Xiaomi has become wildly popular across India and China. Xiaomi is selling a huge volume of smartphones through online channels, with key retail partners including Flipkart and JD.
We estimate Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus shipped 5.3 million units for sixth place and 2 percent marketshare worldwide in Q1 2018. Samsung’s new flagships, Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, only started shipping toward the end of the first quarter, but shipments are already off to a very good start. The S9 Plus delivers an attractive, bezel-less, curved-screen design, a rich portfolio of software apps, and best-in-class retail distribution across dozens of countries. We expect the S9 Plus to become the best-selling Android smartphone globally in the second quarter of 2018.
Exhibit 1: Global Smartphone Shipments & Marketshare by Model in Q1 2018 [1]
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Global Smartphone Shipments by Model (Millions of Units)
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Q1 '17
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Q1 '18
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1. Apple iPhone X
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0.0
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16.0
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|
2. Apple iPhone 8
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0.0
|
12.5
|
|
3. Apple iPhone 8 Plus
|
0.0
|
8.3
|
|
4. Apple iPhone 7
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21.5
|
5.6
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5. Xiaomi Redmi 5A
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0.0
|
5.4
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6. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
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0.0
|
5.3
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Rest of Total Market
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332.3
|
292.3
|
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Total
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353.8
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345.4
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|
|
|
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Global Smartphone Marketshare by Model (% of Total)
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Q1 '17
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Q1 '18
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1. Apple iPhone X
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0.0%
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4.6%
|
|
2. Apple iPhone 8
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0.0%
|
3.6%
|
|
3. Apple iPhone 8 Plus
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0.0%
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2.4%
|
|
4. Apple iPhone 7
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6.1%
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1.6%
|
|
5. Xiaomi Redmi 5A
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0.0%
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1.6%
|
|
6. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
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0.0%
|
1.5%
|
|
Rest of Total Market
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93.9%
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84.6%
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Total
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100.0%
|
100.0%
|
|
|
|
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Total Growth YoY (%)
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6.2%
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-2.4%
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|
|
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Source: Strategy Analytics
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[1] Numbers are rounded.