US phone shipments tank by 18% thanks to declining iPhone sales

The US smartphone sales picture has always been an interesting read, and the latest numbers live up to that reputation. Well, okay, not if you’re a smartphone seller, that is.

Smartphone shipments in the States are down year-on-year, that is comparing Q1 2019 to Q1 2018.

Analysis firm Canalys notes that sales topped just 36.4-million devices in these three months, a drop of 18%. US customers bought eight-million fewer phones in the first quarter of 2019 compared to 2018.

It blames the absence of ZTE from the market, and a dismal performance by Apple. But just how dismal?

iPhone shipments fell 19% to 14.6-million. This still gives it a firm 40% market share in the States, down slightly from 40.3% in Q1 2018. Its biggest seller was the iPhone XR, with 4.7-million devices.

Samsung has largely weathered the storm. It grew by 3% year-on-year, shipping 10.7-million devices. The lion’s share of these stem from the Galaxy S10 family.

LG is the biggest loser, shrinking by nearly a quarter in 2019, shipping just 4.8-million devices.

Two Chinese firms follow: Lenovo and TCL, together making up 10.8% of the market.

Feature image: Apple