According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global mobile phone shipments grew 7 percent annually to reach 515 million units in the fourth quarter of 2014.

  It was the first time worldwide mobile phone shipments have passed the half-billion-unit threshold. Apple was the star performer, capturing a record 14 percent marketshare, due to strength in the US and China.

 Global mobile phone shipments grew 7 percent annually from 481.5 million units in Q4 2013 to 515.0 million in Q4 2014. It was the first time worldwide mobile phone shipments have exceeded a half-billion units in a single quarter. Smartphones accounted for 7 in 10 of total mobile phone shipments during the quarter. 

 The 7 percent growth rate of the overall mobile phone market is being driven by healthy demand for 3G and 4G models across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Handset shipments reached 1.8 billion units globally in full-year 2014, an all-time high for the industry.

 Samsung dipped 19 percent annually and shipped 95.0 million mobile phones worldwide, capturing 18 percent marketshare in Q4 2014. Samsung is facing intense competition from Apple, Huawei and others in the fast-growing, big-screen phablet segment across China, United States and Europe. 

 Apple soared 46 percent annually and shipped 74.5 million mobile phones for a record 14 percent worldwide marketshare in Q4 2014. Apple’s new iPhone 6 portfolio with larger screens is the key to its success. Apple fans have been waiting years for outsized iPhones to arrive and demand for Apple’s expensive models has been exceptionally high.
Microsoft shipped 50.2 million mobile phones worldwide in Q4 2014, down 23 percent from 64.8 million a year earlier. Microsoft is experiencing decent growth in smartphones, but its core feature phone lineup continues to struggle. Lenovo-Motorola finally merged officially to capture 5 percent handset marketshare and become the fourth largest mobile phone vendor worldwide in 2014. China, Brazil, India and United States will be among the main countries targeted by the enlarged group in 2015.

Other findings from the research include:
  • LG had a relatively robust quarter, with volumes in North America notably active; 
  • A long tail of second-tier brands continues to build momentum beyond the top four mobile phone brands. Key emerging challengers in mobile phones worldwide at the moment include OPPO, Vivo, Lenovo, Xiaomi and others. They remain important players to monitor.
The full report, Apple Becomes World’s No.2 Mobile Phone Vendor in Q4 2014, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Strategies (WDS) service, details of which can be found here.