July 14 - The growth of global smartphone shipments

slowed in the second quarter as buyers, wary of U.S.

tariff-driven economic uncertainty, curbed spending, especially

on low-end devices, data from research firm International Data

Corp showed on Monday.

Shipments increased by 1% in the April-June quarter to 295.2

million units, according to the preliminary data, slower than

the 1.5% growth recorded in the previous quarter.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Demand in China declined in the second quarter, as subsidies

failed to stimulate demand, with Apple ( AAPL ) seeing a 1%

drop.

Overall demand has tapered as consumers deprioritize

spending on smartphones, especially in low-end segments.

Sellers have continued to push higher price points to make

up for the slowdown in unit shipments by offering AI in more

affordable devices, IDC said.

KEY QUOTES

"In the face of ongoing political challenges, the impact of

war, and the complexities posed by tariffs, the 1% growth in the

smartphone market stands as a critical indicator that the market

is poised to return to growth," said Anthony Scarsella, research

director for Client Devices at IDC.

"Economic uncertainty tends to compress demand at the lower

end of the market, where price sensitivity is highest. As a

result, low-end Android is witnessing a crunch weighing down

overall market growth," said Nabila Popal, senior research

director for Worldwide Client Devices.

BY THE NUMBERS

Samsung saw the highest growth, with shipments

increasing 7.9% to 58 million units in the quarter.

Apple ( AAPL ) roughly maintained its market share as the second-top

smartphone seller, with a growth of 1.5% in shipments.

CONTEXT

IDC had in May slashed its 2025 global smartphone shipment

growth forecast to 0.6% from 2.3%, citing tariff-driven economic

uncertainty and a pullback in consumer spending.

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