Most phones shipped in 2015 will be smartphones

ANALYST OUTFIT IHS Isuppli claims that smartphones will make up the majority of mobile phone sales by 2015.

Isuppli's forecast puts global smartphone shipments topping one billion in 2015, a doubling of the current figure, which stands at 478 million. The upshot of this is that smartphones will make up 54.5 per cent of phone shipments in 2015 while presently accounting for just 32.5 per cent.

According to Isuppli the rapidly growing low-end smartphone market will fuel the rapid growth. Francis Sideco, senior principle analyst of wireless communications at IHS Isuppli said, "With their affordable prices, low-end smart phones are attractive to first-time users and to consumers in emerging economies where subscriber levels are rising at the fastest rates of all regions of the world, such as China, India, South Asia and Africa."

Last year smartphone newcomer ZTE scored a big win with its Blade low-cost handset. Rebadged as the San Francisco and sold for around £100, it was an very compelling Android smartphone. More recently the incredible price cuts on HP's Touchpad and Pre 3 have shown the appetite there is for cut price smartphones and tablets.

Isuppli claims that Samsung has benefited the most in recent times with its smartphone shipments going from strength to strength. The firm pegs Samsung's shipment growth at 600 per cent for the second quarter of 2011 but interestingly puts that down to low-end smartphones that were popular in China and Latin America. However it can't hurt to have the ultra-desirable Galaxy S II headlining its range, either.

What Isuppli's forecast goes to show is that smartphones are becoming mainstream. The expensive devices that were purchased by early adoptors will still remain but mass market consumers, the ones who do not particularly care to spend the best part of £400 on a device, will be catered for between now and 2015. µ