The explosive growth of smartphone sales on the mainland, the world's biggest smartphone market, has come to a halt as unit shipments declined for the first time in more than two years, a report said yesterday.
Shipments of smartphones on the mainland fell 4.3 per cent quarter on quarter to 90.8 million from 94.8 million units, the first drop-off since the second quarter of 2011, according to data firm IDC.
"The world has increasingly looked to China as the powerhouse to propel the world's smartphone growth and this is the first hiccup we've seen in an otherwise stellar growth path," said Melissa Chau, a senior research manager with IDC.
"We are now starting to see a market that is becoming less about capturing the low-hanging fruit of first-time smartphone users and moving into the more laborious process of convincing existing users why they should upgrade to this year's model."
Apple's deal with China Mobile and the mainland's roll-out of high-speed 4G mobile networks will encourage adoption of 4G-compatible smartphones and help support growth, according to IDC.
Growth however, was shifting to other emerging markets, IDC said, as the mainland's smartphone market became increasingly competitive.