According to the latest report from IDC’s Europe, Middle East and Africa Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the mobile phone market in Western Europe grew in the second quarter of 2013. However, there was a declined from the first quarter of 2013. Total shipments increased 2.6% year on year to 43.3 million units, the report states.
The report also highlights that the feature phone market continued to shrink as shipments fell 27% year on year to 10.7 million units. While the smartphone market increased 19% year on year to 32.6 million units in the quarter to represent 75% of total shipments in Western Europe.
“The Western European market continues to suffer from a tough economic environment, although this does not prevent mobile operators from pushing those handsets that will potentially drive higher revenues in the future,” said Francisco Jeronimo, Research Director, European Consumer Wireless and Mobile Communications. “One important fact worth noting this quarter was that LTE already represented 32% of total mobile phone shipments and 43% of total smartphone shipments. Although most consumers do not subscribe yet to an LTE data plan when renewing their smartphones, it is important for mobile operators to enable their users with LTE handsets while the expansion of their LTE networks continues. When the networks are widely available geographically it will be faster to migrate users to an LTE data plan as they become cheaper.”
The report points out that Google’s Android mobile operating system continues to dominate the smartphone segment.
“In the quarter, shipments went up 29% year on year to 23.2 million units, which gave Android OS 71% market share, the highest ever in the region. The Ice Cream Sandwich version was the most popular, representing 70% of total Android shipments. Apple’s iOS lost market share due to the expectation of a new iPhone coming out in the third quarter and it now represents 17.4% of total shipments, which is lower than the 19.4% in the second quarter last year. Windows Phones continued to see steady but slow growth. Shipments increased by 48% year on year to 2 million units, or 6.3% of total smartphone shipments,” the report said.
Top Western European Mobile Phone Vendors, Total Shipments and Market Share, 2Q13 Smartphones and Feature Phones (Units in Millions)
| Vendor |
2Q13 Unit Shipments |
2Q13 Market Share |
2Q12 Unit Shipments |
2Q12 Market Share |
2Q13/2Q12 Change |
| 1. Samsung |
18.8 |
43.4% |
17.3 |
41% |
8.7% |
| 2. Nokia |
5.7 |
13.2% |
8.1 |
19.2% |
-29.6% |
| 3. Apple |
5.7 |
13.2% |
5.2 |
12.3% |
9.6% |
| 4. Sony |
3.7 |
8.5% |
2.3 |
5.5% |
60.9% |
| 5. LG |
2.7 |
6.2% |
0.9 |
2.1% |
200% |
| 6. Others |
6.7 |
15.5% |
8.4 |
19.9% |
-20.2% |
| Total |
43.3 |
100% |
42.2 |
100% |
2.6% |
Source: IDC European Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, August 2013
Top Western European Mobile Phone Vendors, Shipments and Market Share, 2Q13 Smartphones (Units in Millions)
| Vendor |
2Q13 Unit Shipments |
2Q13 Market Share |
2Q12 Unit Shipments |
2Q12 Market Share |
2Q13/2Q12 Change |
| 1. Samsung |
14.0 |
42.9% |
12.0 |
43.8% |
16.7% |
| 2. Apple |
5.7 |
17.5% |
5.2 |
19% |
9.6% |
| 3. Sony |
3.7 |
11.3% |
2.0 |
7.3% |
85% |
| 4. LG |
2.6 |
8% |
0.6 |
2.2% |
333.3% |
| 5. Nokia |
1.8 |
5.5% |
2.0 |
7.3% |
-10% |
| 6. Others |
4.8 |
14.7% |
5.6 |
20.4% |
-14.3% |
| Total |
32.6 |
100% |
27.4 |
100% |
19% |
Source: IDC European Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, August 2013