Smartphones Take 27% of Asian Handset Market; Android is Far Ahead of the Pack, Says ABI Research

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The telecom boom in the emerging markets of the Asia-Pacific is expected to continue in 2011, and will drive the total mobile subscription rate in the region to grow by more than 15%. The mobile market in the Asia-Pacific still has the potential to grow at more than a 10% rate for the next two years.

“Despite the current global economic situation, markets in the Asia-Pacific will continue to see increased acceptance for media tablets, driven by the accelerated penetration of 3G in emerging markets, as well as the availability of media tablets in lower price ranges”

The smartphone market is also expected to have healthy growth, with 24% share in total handset shipments in 2011, up from 17% in 2010. Smartphone shipments in Asia will see a significant growth of 56% in 2011, which indicates the growing demand for smartphones in emerging Asian markets.

Smartphone shipments in Asian markets will see a boost for Android-based smartphones, with market share increasing to 52% in 2011, up from 16% in 2010. As a result, the combined market share of Samsung and HTC, the leading Android-based smartphone makers in Asia, will swell from 11% in 2010 to 24% in 2011. Riding on the success in the low-end handset segment, new players like Micromax, Karbonn, and G’Five are also striving to make their presence felt in the smartphone segment with their “value for money” smartphones. The smartphone market in Asia is likely to see turbulence soon as these mobile phone makers up the ante to increase their smartphone market share.

“Asian markets are proving to be a hot spot for media tablets as well,” says Jeff Orr, group director, mobile devices. “With an estimated 7.8 million media tablets shipped in 2011, media tablets are an important constituent in the ultra-mobile devices (UMDs) category.” In addition to media tablets, the UMD category also includes ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs), mobile Internet devices (MIDs), and netbooks.

“Despite the current global economic situation, markets in the Asia-Pacific will continue to see increased acceptance for media tablets, driven by the accelerated penetration of 3G in emerging markets, as well as the availability of media tablets in lower price ranges,” says Orr.

ABI Research’s new market data, “Asia Handsets, Smartphones, Tablets & Netbooks Forecasts,” (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1008713-Asia_Handsets%2c_Smartphones%2c_Tablets_%26_Netbooks_Forecasts) is updated quarterly and focuses on the Asia-Pacific region and provides forecasts for all Ultra-Mobile Devices (UMDs).

It is part of ABI Research’s Asia Intelligence Research Service (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Asia_Intelligence_Research_Service).

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 40+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.