New research has revealed that by 2019, only 27% of cellphones sold in Africa and the Middle East will be feature phones.
The new research from International Data Corp (IDC), has revealed that the majority will be smartphones.
In 2015, regional smartphone shipments will total 155m units after increasing by 66% year on year during the first quarter, according to the technology research and consulting firm’s Q1 2015 Mobile Phone Tracker report.
During the quarter, 47% of cellphones sold during the first quarter in Africa were smartphones. Feature-phone sales on the continent slumped by 20% year on year, according to IDC.
The growth in smartphones in the Middle East and Africa region is being spurred on by Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS, with the two platforms accounting for over 95% of the smartphones shipped in the first quarter of 2015. Shipments of devices featuring these operating systems increased by a combined 67% year on year.
Android has 89% market share in smartphones in Africa, while Apple a distant second at 7%.
Nigeria accounted for 14% of all smartphone shipments across Africa during the first quarter, while South Africa was responsible for 12%.
Samsung, Tecno and Apple are the leading smartphone vendors in Africa during the quarter, with Huawei being ousted from the top three. The three leading vendors accounted for a combined 55% share of Africa’s smartphone shipments in the first quarter.
[VIA]
This is where Microsoft should be selling all of those budget Windows Phones they keep trying to sell Americans. Americans usually only want flagship devices.