India to pip US to become world’s second-largest smartphone market by 2017: Study

NEW DELHI: Global smartphone sales are forecasted to grow from 1.5 billion units in 2015 to a record 1.7 billion by 2017, with India overtaking the United States to become the world’s second-largest smartphone market by 2017, selling an impressive 174 million units, a study said.

China, India and United States are the big three countries driving smartphone growth worldwide. Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “We forecast global smartphone sales will grow from 1.5 billion units in 2015 to a record 1.7 billion in 2017. China, India and United States are the big three countries driving smartphone growth worldwide today and in the future.”

Linda Sui, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “We forecast 458 million smartphones will be sold in China in 2015, rising steadily to 505 million in 2017. China has been the engine of global smartphone growth in recent years, but China is now maturing and slowing. India is fast becoming the next major growth wave. We forecast 118 million smartphones will be sold in India in 2015, increasing strongly to 174 million in 2017. India’s growth is being driven by low smartphone penetration, expanding retail availability of devices, wealthier middle-class consumers, and aggressive promotions from local smartphone brands like Micromax.”

Woody Oh, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “We forecast 164 million smartphones will be sold in the United States in 2015, climbing marginally to 169 million in 2017. India will sell 174 million units and overtake the maturing US market to become the world’s second largest smartphone country by volume in 2017. No serious global hardware or software player can afford to ignore the huge Indian smartphone market today.”