Samsung’s Galaxy J series propped up its sales in the first quarter of 2017, according to a recent TrendForce report, making it the only brand that saw a production volume growth in the period.
The series also helped Samsung reach the top position in terms of global smartphone production volume market share, at 26.1 percent. Apple on the other hand came in at second position, with a 16.9 percent share.
TrendForce reports 307 million smartphone units were produced for the first quarter of 2017, which is a 23 percent drop from the previous quarter.
It attributes the fall to seasonality, however, predicts that production volumes are likely to remain thanks to lacklustre smartphone sales until the second half of the year.
It estimates that the “global smartphone production volume for this second quarter will register a modest single-digit growth versus the preceding three-month period.”
In the last quarter (Q4 2016), Samsung managed to obtain a market share of 18.5 percent while Apple had a lead with 20.3 percent in global smartphone production volumes. For Q1 2017, Apple saw a decline in its smartphone production volume by 36 percent compared with the previous quarter.
In the case of Samsung, as mentioned, the Galaxy J-series helped the company stay afloat this quarter, TrendForce claims.
While its high-end smartphone sales suffered thanks to the effect of the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, Samsung’s mid-range and low-end segments thrived thanks to the Galaxy J-series.
“The economically priced, high-performing Galaxy J series sustained Samsung’s shipments and contributed significantly to the expansion of the brand’s overall smartphone production volume,” the report claimed.
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