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Smartphone Revenue Growth Outpaces Unit Sales on Better User Experience, Says GfK

Global Q2 smartphone sales reached 347 million units, the second-highest quarter, said a Monday report from GfK. Growth was strongest in the emerging Asia region at 13 percent, followed by Central and Eastern Europe at 11 percent and Latin America…

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at 10 percent, GfK said. North American smartphone sales were 47.4 million, up 6 percent from the year-ago quarter, and revenue jumped 15 percent to $18.7 billion, it said. GfK forecasts the region’s smartphone demand will total 203 million units for the year, a rise of 2 percent year-on-year. Global Q2 smartphone market value grew 9 percent over Q2 2016 to $109 billion on higher average selling prices, it said. In China, unit sales were roughly flat at 110 million units, but dollar value grew 8 percent to $35 billion, said the research firm. "Consumers are willing to pay more for their smartphone as they seek a better user experience,” said analyst Yotaro Noguchi. Despite high penetration levels, GfK forecasts smartphone demand will continue to have year-on-year growth through 2018 “as innovation from smartphone vendors keeps replacement cycles from lengthening."