Total smartphone sales up 47% in 2012 – report

According to a new research report issued by research firm Berg Insight, total smartphone sales grew almost 47 percent to 690 million units in 2012, up from 470 million units in 2011. High-end smartphones with unsubsidised retail prices above EUR 400 and low-cost devices priced at around EUR 100 and below contributed to most of the growth in the smartphone category in 2012. Sales of high-end devices increased from about 150 million units in 2011 to an estimated 250 million units in 2012. Going forward, most of the growth will come from low-cost smartphones costing less than EUR 100, followed by mid-range handsets.

Additionally, the report has found that sales of dual-core smartphones accelerated in 2012, reaching an estimated 250 million units, up from 70 million units in 2011. The first handsets with quad-core processors were launched in early 2012. A wide range of standalone application processors and system-on-chips (SoCs) that integrate application processors and cellular basebands are becoming available to address different price points in the increasingly competitive smartphone category. This will likely bring more choice for consumers, while product marketing becomes more challenging for handset vendors.