IDC: Smartphones will outship feature phones this year

Based on their recent research, International Data Corporation (IDC) has reasons to believe that smartphones will overtake the feature phone (aka dumbphones) shipments for the first time this year and will continue to do so for the next succeeding years.

IDC is looking at a number of factors that may affect the overturn including the affordability and wide range of smartphones options especially Android handsets and the mass adoption of 4G wireless networks. And although the research firm believes that the majority of the volume will still come from established markets such as China, US and UK, IDC predicts that emerging markets like Brazil and India will also play a key role in the significant smartphone growth.

“Even as China starts to mature, there remains enormous untapped potential in other emerging markets like India, where we expect less than half of all phones shipped there to be smartphones by 2017, and yet it will weigh in as the world’s third largest market,” said Melissa Chau Senior Research Manager, IDC Asia/Pacific. Bruno Freitas, Consumer Devices Research Manager, IDC Brazil adds by saying, “The smartphone tide is turning in Brazil though, as wireless service providers and the government have laid the groundwork for a strong smartphone foundation that mobile phone manufacturers can build upon.”

It’s also important to note that the the new players in platform wars such as Firefox OS and Tizen, along with its respective low-cost handsets, will also provide an additional traction for the global smartphone success.

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