Global smartphone sales jumped over 38 per cent as demand for for low-priced devices in emerging countries like India and China pushed volume to cross the one billion unit milestone in 2013.
According to research firm IDC, the global smartphone shipment grew 38.4 per cent to touch 1,004.2 million units in 2013 from 725.3 million units in 2012.
Samsung led the shipment tally with 313.9 million and 31.3 per cent share of the market, followed by Apple with 153.4 million units (15.3 per cent) and Huawei with 48.8 million units (4.9 per cent).
LG and Lenovo stood at fourth and fifth slot with 4.8 per cent and 4.5 per cent share, respectively.
"Worldwide smartphone market reached yet another milestone, having shipped one billion units in a single year for the first time," the firm said.
Smartphones accounted for 55.1 per cent of total mobile
phone shipments in 2013, up from the 41.7 per cent in 2012.
In the fourth quarter alone, vendors shipped a total of 284.4 million smartphones globally, up 24.2 per cent from the 229 million units shipped in the fourth quarter of 2012.
The ranking in the fourth quarter was similar to that for the full year, except Lenovo swapping positions with LG.
In Q4 2013, Lenovo had a market share of 4.9 per cent compared to that of LG at 4.6 per cent.
Among the top trends driving smartphone growth are large
screen devices and low cost, IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker Programme Director Ryan Reith said.
"Of the two, I have to say that low cost is the key difference maker. Cheap devices are not the attractive segment that normally grabs headlines, but IDC data shows this is the portion of the market that is driving volume," he added.
Reith said markets like China and India are quickly moving toward a point where sub-USD 150 smartphones are the majority of shipments, bringing a solid computing experience to the hands of many.
"The sheer volume and strong growth attest to the smartphone's continued popularity in 2013," IDC Mobile Phone Team Research Manager Ramon Llamas said.
Total smartphone shipments reached 494.4 million units worldwide in 2011 and doubling that volume in just two years demonstrates strong end-user demand and vendor strategies to highlight smartphones, he added.
