Global Mobile Handset Sales Drop 2.3 Per Cent

Global sales of mobile handsets fell by 2.3 per cent in Q2, 2012, according to Gartner, with the total number of sales worldwide dropping to 419m units.

"The challenging economic environment and users postponing upgrades to take advantage of high-profile device launches and promotions available later in the year slowed demand across markets," says Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner. "Demand of feature phones continued to decline, significantly weakening the overall mobile phone market."

The future's bright though - at least for smartphones, with sales growing 42.7 per cent over the same period, accounting for 36.7 per cent of total mobile phone sales. Gartner pointed to launch of the iPhone 5, as well as a 3G push from Chinese manufacturers pushing, as helping to further drive this growth in the second half of 2012.

And it's of no surprise to anyone that Apple and Samsung dominated the market in the period - iPhone sales fell 12.6 per cent compared to Q1, but still grew by 47.4 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Samsung handsets saw a 29.5 per cent growth compared to Q2, 2011, extending its lead over both Apple and Nokia. 50.4 per cent of Samsung's mobile sales were smartphones - and its Galaxy S3, shifting 10m units in the two months post-launch, proved the strongest selling Android device.