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Category: Electronics

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Electronics news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Apple iPhone X Asia on-sale dates confirmed

    Apple iPhone X Asia on-sale dates confirmed

    Apple’s most expensive and technologically advanced iPhone yet, the X, was unveiled overnight. And the tech giant has revealed the new Apple iPhone X Asia on-sale dates.

    Preorders for the handset will open on October 27 with the on-shelf date November 3 in the following Asia-Pacific markets: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan.

    In the US, the phone will sell from $999 for the base model 64GB model, but regional pricing has yet to be revealed.

    It was one of three major product announcements by Apple. The other two were a new cellular version of its Apple Watch, along with the new generation ‘standard’ iPhone 8. (Scroll down for more details)

    The iPhone X has been described by Apple as “the future of the smartphone”, featuring full-front and rear glass design, surrounded by stainless steel frame, with a 5.8-inch ‘Super Retina’ OLED display, A11 Bionic chip, wireless charging and an improved rear camera with dual optical image stabilisation.

    With an all-glass front the ‘home’ button has been removed. Instead of activating the phone with a fingerprint, users can unlock the phone, and make payments, using Apple’s Face ID technology – you look at it to switch it on.

    The glass back enables a world-class wireless charging solution. Wireless charging works with the established Qi ecosystem, including two new wireless charging mats from Belkin and mophie, available from Apple.com and Apple Stores.

    “For more than a decade, our intention has been to create an iPhone that is all display. The iPhone X is the realisation of that vision,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer.

    The home button has been replaced with what Apple describes as “fast and fluid gestures. Now users swipe up from the bottom to go home from anywhere.

    Apple says the new 7-megapixel TrueDepth front camera that enables Face ID features wide-colour capture, automatic image stabilisation and precise exposure control, and brings portrait mode to the front camera for better quality selfies and a depth-of-field effect. The phone also features a redesigned dual 12-megapixel rear camera system with dual optical image stabilisation. The camera also delivers the highest quality video capture ever in a smartphone.

    The iPhone X will be available in silver and space gray in 64GB and 256GB models.

    The new iPhone 8

     

    Meanwhile, the Asia onsale dates of the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will vary. Orders will be taken from September 15, with availability from September 22 in Australia,  China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan. It will be available in India from September 29.

    The iPhone 8 features a new glass and aluminum design in three colours – grey, silver and gold –  Retina HD displays and an A11 Bionic chip. They come with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch HD displays, and redesigned stereo speakers up to 25 per cent louder and delivering deeper bass, enabling richer-sounding music, videos and speakerphone calls.

    Sold with 64GB and 256GB capacity, the base model will be priced from US$699.

    Series 3 Apple Watch

    The new Apple Watch Series 3 now features built-in cellular capability.

    “Whether users are out for a run, at the pool or just trying to be more active throughout their day, Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular allows them to stay connected, make calls, receive texts and more, even without an iPhone nearby,” says the company.

    “The third-generation Apple Watch is an amazing health and fitness companion with intelligent coaching features, water resistance 50 meters and a new barometric altimeter that measures relative elevation.”

    The watch comes in two models, one with GPS and cellular, and one with GPS, both featuring a 70 per cent faster dual-core processor and new wireless chip.

    “We believe the addition of cellular will transform the way people use Apple Watch, providing a new sense of freedom since they can stay connected with or without their iPhone,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s COO.

    Soon, the combination of cellular and WatchOS 4 will allow Apple Music users to stream 40 million songs from their wrist.

    In Asia-Pacific, the cellular watch model can be pre-ordered from September 15, with both models in stores from September 22 in Australia, China and Japan. It will be launched in other countries next year.

    Customers will be able to order the GPS-only version from September 15, with availability beginning September 22 in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan and in India and Macau from September 29.

    An Apple Watch Nike+ edition will be available to order on Apple.com from September 15, with limited availability on October 5 in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

    An Apple Watch Hermès edition will be available to order on Apple.com from September 15, with availability from September 22 in Australia, China and Japan.

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  • Kakao takes its leap into the smart speaker market

    Kakao takes its leap into the smart speaker market

    Kakao on 5 September 2017 unveiled its smart speaker, Kakao Mini, which will officially hit shelves by the end of September this year.

    Kakao, which operates the country’s most popular messaging app Kakao Talk, said the Kakao Mini will work on its artificial intelligence platform called Kakao I. It can be controlled by voice commands.

    The Kakao Mini has a square design with fabric on the sides, which has a minimalist, familiar design that can fit well with the surroundings in small sizes.There are four buttons at the top that let users adjust the volume and turn the microphone on and off.

    The Kakao Friends figure, which is released together, has a magnet and can be easily attached to the top of the Kakao Mini. The figures are provided to the initial purchaser on a first come, first served basis.

    The Kakao Mini is equipped with four high-end microphones to accurately capture users’ speech. As the device can connect to other speakers via Bluetooth, users can utilize features of the Kakao Mini through other premium audio systems as well.

    The speaker also connects to KakaoTalk, allowing users to check and send messages verbally.

    The device automatically updates software to continuously provide users with new features, the company said.

    The Kakao Mini offer users convenience by being linked to portal site such as daum as well as Kakao Talk. Kakao Mini will evolve to reflect new features with automatic update method.

    Pre-orders for the Kakao Mini will start later in September 2017.

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  • Apple set to unveil anniversary iPhone in major product launch

    Apple set to unveil anniversary iPhone in major product launch

    Apple hopes iPhone X will silence critics who say the company has lost its innovation edge.

    A decade after then-CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone, Apple Inc on Tuesday is set to introduce a completely redesigned top-of-the-line iPhone along with two other new phones, as well as a big upgrade to the Apple Watch and a higher-definition Apple TV.

    The splashy launch event will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s new Apple Park “spaceship” campus – widely considered to be the final product designed by Jobs, who died in 2011.

    The new products and the holiday shopping season that follows are the most important for Apple in years. The company has sold more than 1.2 billion iPhones over the past decade and ushered in the era of mobile computing, but last year suffered a substantial decline in revenue as many consumers rejected the iPhone 7 as being too similar to the iPhone 6.

    Apple hopes the new high-end phone, expected to be called the iPhone X, will silence critics who say the company has lost its innovation edge. It features an edge-to-edge display with richer colors and facial recognition to unlock the phone without the need for a fingerprint reader or physical home button.

    The two other models, expected to be called the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, are intended to update the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. They could also include some new features, such as a glass back similar to the iPhone 4 that would help facilitate wireless charging.

    The phones are expected to come with a steep price tag. Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi predicts the top-end model will cost $899, though other analysts expect it to cross the $1,000 threshold. That compares to a top base price of $769 for the iPhone 7 Plus prior.

    Much of that added costs is driven by more expensive parts, like a higher-resolution display, 3D sensors and more memory capacity. “Some of these components are just darned expensive. There’s just no doubt about that,” said Brian Blau, an Apple analyst at Gartner.

    Blau expects Apple to keep several lower priced models in its lineup.

    Watch for wireless networks

    Analysts also expect Apple to reveal a new Apple TV that operates at higher resolution than its previous set. The higher resolution could play into Apple’s efforts to court Hollywood, which have shifted into a higher gear recently with two high-profile executives hired away from Sony.

    The company is also expected to reveal more details about the HomePod, its voice-activated home speaker that competes against Amazon.com Inc’s Echo devices and the Google Home speaker. Apple announced the HomePod in June and said it will ship in December.

    Lastly, Apple is expected to announce a new version of the Apple Watch. Previous versions of the watch had to be tethered to a user’s phone in order to receive send or receive data, but the new version is expected to connect to wireless data networks just like a phone.

    Apple does not say how many Apple Watches it sells. Gene Munster, a veteran Apple watcher and analyst with Loup Ventures, believes the watch could double or even triple in sales because of the new connectivity.

    But even a huge boom in one product will not move the company’s financials like the iPhone, which accounted for 63 percent of Apple’s $215 billion in sales last year. Even if Apple crushes rivals like Fitbit Inc and Garmin in smart watch sales, Apple remains the iPhone company.

    “It’s a really big deal for the wearables category for Apple, but it’s not a big deal for the company,” Munster said.

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  • Huawei tantalizes users with AI flagship phone

    Huawei tantalizes users with AI flagship phone

    Huawei aims to use artificial intelligence-powered features such as instant image recognition to take on Samsung and Apple when it launches its new flagship phone in October 2017, a top executive said on Saturday 2 September.

    Richard Yu, chief executive of Huawei’s consumer business, on Saturday 2 September 2017 revealed a powerful new mobile phone chip the company is betting on for its upcoming flagship Mate 10 and other high-end phones to deliver faster processing and lower power consumption.

    Huawei will launch the Mate 10 and its sister phone, the Mate 10 Pro, in Munich on October 16 2017, Yu confirmed.

    He declined to detail new features, but the phones are expected to boast large, 6-inch-plus full-screen displays, tech blogs predict.

    Artificial intelligence built into its new chips can help make phones more personalized, or anticipate the actions and interests of their users, Yu said.

    As examples, he said AI can enable real-time language translation, heed voice commands, or take advantage of augmented reality, which overlays text, sounds, graphics and video on real-world images phone users see in front of them.

    Yu believes the new Kirin 970 chip’s speed and low power can translate into features that will give its phones an edge over the Apple iPhone 8, set to be unveiled on September 12 2017, and Samsung’s range of top-line phones announced this year.

    Huawei is the world’s No. 3 smartphone maker behind Samsung and Apple.

    “Compared with Samsung and Apple, we have advantages,” Yu said in an interview during the annual IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin.

    “Users are in for much faster (feature) performance, longer battery life and more compact design,” Yu added.

    The company asserts its newly announced Kirin 970 chip will preserve battery life on phones by up to 50 percent.

    Huawei describes the new chip as the first Neural Processing Unit for smartphones.

    It brings together classic computing, graphics, image and digital signal processing power that have typically required separate chips, taking up more space and slowing interaction between features within phones.

    Most importantly, Huawei aims to use the Kirin chips to differentiate its phones from a vast sea of competitors, including Samsung, who overwhelmingly rely on rival Snapdragon chips from Qualcomm, the market leader in mobile chip design.

    Among major phone makers, only Apple and Huawei now rely on their own core processors.

    The 970 is designed by Huawei’s HiSilicon chip design business.

  • Huawei bites Apple in smartphone sales rankings

    Huawei bites Apple in smartphone sales rankings

    Chinese brand Huawei has overtaken Apple in global smartphone sales rankings for two consecutive months – and is set to achieve a trifecta, according to research house Counterpoint.

    “With August sales looking strong for the Chinese vendor, a hat-trick for Huawei could be on the cards,”says Counterpoint research director Peter Richardson..

    “This is a significant milestone for Huawei, the largest Chinese smartphone brand with a growing global presence. It speaks volumes for this primarily network infrastructure vendor on how far it has grown in the consumer mobile handset space in the last three to four years,” said Richardson.

    “The global scale Huawei has been able to achieve can be attributed to its consistent investment in research and development and manufacturing, coupled with aggressive marketing and sales channel expansion.”

    But Richardson cautions Apple should regain its second spot given a new edition of the iPhone is set for launch in September.

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  • Apple China sets pertinent date for store opening

    Apple China sets pertinent date for store opening

    Apple China has set an opening date of September 16 for its Tianyi Square location in Ningbo – just in time for the iPhone 8 release.

    It will be the US technology brand’s 41st store in China, and appears to be geared toward Apple’s new retail vision with a large central gathering space with conventional retail on its periphery.

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  • Vietnamese retailers look to foreign retail markets

    Vietnamese retailers look to foreign retail markets

     

    In late June, The Gioi Di Dong JSC, which owns the largest mobile phone distribution chain in Vietnam, opened its first shop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The shop in Cambodia is named BigPhone, but it has a brand identity like The Gioi Di Dong shops in Vietnam.

    The Gioi Di Dong hopes it can earn $100,000 a month from the first shop, and plans to open 10-15 shops in Cambodia this year.

    A senior executive of Pico, a home appliance distribution chain, in early 2016 told the press that the chain was considering penetrating markets like Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Of the neighboring markets, Myanmar is the first choice because of favorable conditions of the market: it is easy to find retail premises, and there is less competition.

    Nguyen Ngoc Hoa, when he was chair of Saigon Co-op, affirmed the importance of foreign markets for Saigon Co-op, saying that the retail chain targets Laos and Cambodia for its plan to expand the network.

    “The most important thing in implementing the expansion plan is that Saigon Co-op find reliable partners in doing business overseas,” he said.

    A senior executive of Pico said he can see that there would be both economic and non-economic barriers in the Cambodia and Myanmar markets. He said it would take time to learn about the consumption habits, local culture, the laws and economic factors of the target markets.

    Ho Viet Dong, CEO of The Gioi Di Dong in Cambodia, said though the retail chain has good relations with mobile phone manufacturers, it still faces difficulties in doing business in Cambodia.

    “The mobile phone market here is very complicated,” he said. “Besides, the training of the labor force for long-term business plan also needs consideration.”

    Meanwhile, according to Saigon Co-op’s CEO Nguyen Thanh Nhan, the plan to open a supermarket in Cambodia has been delayed because of the change of the Cambodian partner.

     

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  • Fitbit Hong Kong to roll out vending machines

    Fitbit Hong Kong to roll out vending machines

    Fitness product company Fitbit Hong Kong is aiming to grow its B2B sales via smart vending machines.

    Offered by SmartRetail, the machines accept cashless payments, and not only track sales and inventory in real time, but can also scan consumers to provide personalised recommendations.

    “For example, the machine may recommend a light-coloured wrist band to a young woman, while recommending a darker one to an older man,” says SmartRetail founder/director Adam So.

    The visual data will enable Fitbit to respond more rapidly to consumer tastes through accessing transaction data, says So. Marketing messages can also be delivered on a screen.

    IBM Hong Kong, which provides the technology for the units, says the visual and transaction data can also be used to enhance Fitbit’s sales analysis.

    “They can analyse the traffic at different time periods, the weather of a specific location, and how these environmental factors can affect sales,” says IBM Hong Kong CTO Samson Tai. “It is also possible to integrate transactions with loyalty programs. The potential with this real-time data is huge.”

    Showcased at the Hong Kong Computer Festival, the unit is still being tested, says local agent Leader Radio Technologies head of operations Ida Lee.

    She says there has been positive feedback, leading to Fitbit planning to introduce the machine in gyms or corporate offices.

    Lee says Leader sees potential for the units as the company has more B2C customers than B2B clients. “We have a stable retail and distributor ecosystem, and we wish not to disrupt it. Rather, we want to tap into the fitness, banking and corporate industries by placing our machines in their places.”

  • Force Friday II stars at Apple stores

    Force Friday II stars at Apple stores

    To celebrate Force Friday II, Apple is hosting Star Wars-themed Today at Apple events at its retail stores internationally, including special computer graphics (CG) tutorials featuring Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) artists.

    The sessions include workshops on iPad video creation, drone programming for children and CG art.

    There are two feature classes, the first being “How To: Build Your Own Star Wars Trailer” which teaches signature techniques in an exclusive video from The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. Footage and music from various Star Wars movies will be available for cutting together trailers in iMovie on iPad.

    The second feature session, “Kids Hour: Coding the Droids from Star Wars,” offers children a chance to program a Sphero robot and guide it through a self-designed maze. Apple was one of the first retailers to sell Sphero’s BB-8, a rolling iOS-connected drone modelled after the droid from Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

    As with other Today at Apple classes, customers can take in their own iPad, iPhone and Sphero drone, or use hardware provided in store.

    Apple is also hosting two special events featuring ILM artists at its Union Square flagship outlet in San Francisco.

    On Friday, three ILM artists will explain how the Star Wars galaxy is created through animation, 3D modelling, stop motion and CG. Users can apply the techniques to create their own droids using iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

    Saturday’s session features ILM visual effects art director Christian Altmann, the man behind BB-8.

    He will talk about his creative process and explain how colour, shaping and composition give BB-8 personality and emotion. Users can create their own BB-8 using iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

    As well as the US, the sessions are in territories including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Singapore, Australia and Taiwan.

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  • Xiaomi Thailand launches with VST ECS

    Xiaomi Thailand launches with VST ECS

    Xiaomi Thailand has become the latest international beachhead for the Chinese smartphone maker, which has already established a presence in Vietnam, Russia and Mexico.

    In Thailand, Xiaomi is partnering with IT distributor VST ECS, which is handling distribution and after-sales services.

    Xiaomi products are available both online and offline. Its online partners include Lazada, an Alibaba Group e-commerce company, and IT City.

    Four Xiaomi models are initially available in Thailand.

  • Canon Hong Kong offers consumer tracking

    Canon Hong Kong offers consumer tracking

    Consumer behaviour tracking technology linked to cloud-based video analytics for retailers is being offered by Canon Hong Kong.

    President/CEO Shunichi Morinaga says shops can increase sales revenue by using the Japanese system, which monitors consumers using real-time data analysis.

    Elements of the technology include a counter that can analyse about 1600 customers in a specified area via surveillance video and convert the data into business metrics; facial recognition to analyse age, gender and ethnicity of shoppers; and heat mapping to enable shopping-mall managers and real-estate developers to track foot traffic.

    Clients can access the data, hosted on NTT Communications’ cloud and data centre in Hong Kong, through desktops and mobile devices.

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  • Wearable device sales to grow 16.7% this year

    Wearable device sales to grow 16.7% this year

    Wearable device sales are on track to grow 16.7% this year to 310.4 million, representing sales of $30.5 billion, Gartner has projected.

    Nearly a third ($9.3 billion) of the total value of the market is expected to come from smart watches.

    Gartner predicts there will be 45.1 million smartwatches sold this year, and by 2019 the devices are expected to be the second best selling category of wearable devices behind Bluetooth headsets.

    While Apple is expected to continue to have the greatest market share of any smartwatch provider, its market share is expected to decrease from around a third in 2016 to a quarter in 2021 as more providers enter the market.

    Gartner said Apple may announce an Apple Watch in September that will enable direct cellular connectivity for texting, interacting with Siri or transferring sensor data when a Wi-Fi network is not present.

    “Smartwatches are on pace to achieve the greatest revenue potential among all wearables through 2021, reaching $17.4 billion,” Gartner research director Angela McIntyre said.

    “The overall ASP of the smartwatch category will drop from $223.25 in 2017 to $214.99 in 2021 as higher volumes lead to slight reductions in manufacturing and component costs, but strong brands such as Apple and Fossil will keep pricing consistent with price bands of traditional watches.”

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  • Xiaomi will present its new flagship

    Xiaomi will present its new flagship

    Chinese company Xiaomi plans to unveil its new flagship Xiaomi Mi Note 3 at a special event on September 12. CEO of Xiaomi lei Jun has decided to stir interest in the upcoming event. On his page on the social network Weibo, he posted the picture taken by the camera of Mi Note 3.

    See also:  Became known the price of the flagship smartphone Xiaomi Mi6

    The photo was taken at the opening of a new retail store Mi Store in Hong Kong. That the image captured by smartphone Mi Note 3 found a Chinese blogger who has studied the EXIF data of the photo.

    In speed these data were removed, but the source managed to take a screenshot. Image resolution is 12 MP, the lens aperture equal to F/1.8.

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  • Level of Interests towards Galaxy Note 8 Rises in South Korea

    Level of Interests towards Galaxy Note 8 Rises in South Korea

    Samsung Electronics started marketing for ‘Galaxy Note 8’ in South Korea and the U.S. Expectations for its popularity are rising as consumers are continuously visiting cellphone stores in South Korea and the U.S.

    Release date of Galaxy Note 8 is the 15th of September. Samsung Electronics and three South Korean mobile network providers are going to start activation for consumers who preordered Galaxy Note 8 from the 15th until the 20th of September as they expect there will be many potential demands for Galaxy Note 8 due to discontinuation of Galaxy Note 7. Consumers who did not preordered Galaxy Note 8 will be able to activate it after the 21st.

    Samsung Electronics is going to release 64GB and 256GB Galaxy Note 8 models first in South Korea. It included plastic transparent case as part of components that come with a box for Galaxy Note 8 that will be released in South Korea for the first time. In case for the U.S., people have to purchase separate cases for Galaxy Note 8s. Samsung Electronics applied requests from South Korean consumers who wanted a case that does not cover design while it protects the phone from crack.

    “We started taking pre-application for Galaxy Note 8 starting from the 24th before the official preorder date, which is the 7th of September, and there have been 400 to 500 cases of pre-applications on daily average based on customers who filled out necessary documents.” said a representative for Samsung Digital Plaza in Hongdae. “This is the hottest reaction for Galaxy Note series ever.”

    “If a customer just write his or her name and contact number, he or she will be able to receive Galaxy Note 8 on the day it is released based on an order of membership by subscription.” said a representative for LG Uplus direct management store. “We are going to notify our customers by texts when price and free gifts are decided.”

    “Because selective contract discount ratio for Galaxy Note 8 is going to increase from 20% to 25% on the 15th of September, it will be more effective for consumers to wait until the 15th if it is not urgent.” said a representative for an authorized KT retail store.

    Interests towards Galaxy Note 8 are also high in the U.S. where it was launched by Samsung Electronics. Part of New York Time Square was covered with advertisements for Galaxy Note 8 while electronic stores such as Best Buys were filled with customers who were looking for Galaxy Note 8.

    Samsung Electronics is also going to release 64GB Galaxy Note 8 model in the U.S. Price of Galaxy Note 8 is going to be different based on mobile network providers and electronic stores. Verizon and Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile and Best Buy (Unlock phone) are going to sell Galaxy Note 8 at $960, $949.99, and $930 respectively. However actual price is going to be more than $1,000 since these amounts do not include any sales taxes.

    Samsung Electronics is going to give out wireless charger, Gear 360 (2017), or 128GB micro SD card to people who preorder Galaxy Note 8. Customers who returned their Galaxy Note 8s are going to receive $425 of discount if they purchase Galaxy Note 8. Best Buy put out ‘$150 discount’ as a benefit for people who preorder Galaxy Note 8s.

    “Customer reactions towards Galaxy Note 8 are very fast as four people preordered Galaxy Note 8s in just one hour removed from launching of Galaxy Note 8.” said a representative for a Best Buy store in Manhattan. “Most of customers who tested out Galaxy Note 8s showed most of their interests towards dual-camera’s live focus, functions of S Pen, and midnight black color.”

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  • Emerging APAC drives Q2 smartphone sales

    Emerging APAC drives Q2 smartphone sales

    Global smartphone sales grew 6.7% year-on-year during the second quarter to 366.2 million units, driven by demand for 4G handsets in emerging markets, according to Gartner.

    Greater China and emerging APAC markets collectively accounted for nearly half of global smartphone sales during the quarter, the research firm has estimated.

    But China’s share of the overall market has declined from 33.3% a year ago to 27.7% as of the second quarter of 2017, with total unit shipments falling from 114.2 million to 101.5 million over the same period.

    By contrast, emerging APAC’s share increased to 21.4% from 17.3% a year earlier, with shipments growing from 59.4 million to 78.2 million.

    “Although demand for utility smartphones remains strong, there is growing demand in emerging markets for 4G smartphones, with more storage, better processors and more advanced cameras. This is translating into higher demand for midpriced [$150 to $200] smartphones,” Gartner research director Anshul Gupta commented.

    Globally, Android increased its lead with a market share of 87.7%, compared to 12.1% for iOS, down from 12.9% a year earlier. Samsung meanwhile saw its sales grow 7.5% year-on-year after three consecutive quarterly declines associated with the recall of the Galaxy Note 7.

    But the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are bringing back high demand for Samsung smartphones. “Despite growing competition from Chinese brands such as Huawei, Oppo and Vivo, we expect Samsung to register growth in 2017,” Gupta said.

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