China responsible for nearly 40 percent of all smartphone shipments


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Xiaomi Mi4

Xiaomi Mi4




Almost 40 percent of all global smartphone sales are from Chinese manufacturers, according to a new report.


China's smartphone vendors will ship some 450 million smartphones in 2014, it's estimated. This will represent a year on year rise of 50 percent, and will mean that the country is now producing 38.6 percent of the world's smartphones.


"Surging Chinese consumer demand for smartphones is the key reason Chinese handset brands have enjoyed such explosive growth," says TrendForce analyst Alan Chen.


As this suggests, while China is producing a vast quantity of phones, the vast majority are for the domestic market. As the market becomes saturated, it's expected that this phenomenal smartphone growth will slow considerably.


Indeed, this slowing of the Chinese market is expected to start next year, with growth expected to settle to 17 percent.


That will still be enough for China to claim more than 40 percent of the global smartphone market, of course, and it could lead to the country claiming 50 percent in 2016.


Huawei, Lenovo and Xiaomi are locked into a battle to be the top Chinese smartphone vendor, but they also have the challenge of replicating their success abroad. Lenovo has purchased Motorola for just that purpose, of course, but Xiaomi in particular may struggle with its highly localised online-only strategy.


It's thought that India and Latin America - two other developing markets ripe with smartphone growth potential - could represent the best next step for China's smartphone makers.


Read More: Xiaomi Mi4 review


Via: Cnet