The Western European Mobile phone market grew 1.5% year-on-year and reached 43.3 million units in second quarter of 2010, according to a new research from IDC Canada.
Smartphone shipments grew by 60% year-over-year to 14.6 million units, and represented 34% of total shipments in the second quarter, compared to 28% in first quarter of 2010.
For the second quarter of 2010, traditional mobile phones shipments decreased 14% year-on-year to 28.7 million units from 33.5 million units a year before.
IDC said that during the second quarter 2010, Android shipments in Western European countries increased 450% year on year and market share increased to 15%, compared to 4% in the second quarter 2009, becoming the fourth biggest operating system among smartphones, with a very small gap to BlackBerry OS and the iOS.
Android is estimated to become the second biggest smartphone OS in Western Europe by first quarter of 2011.
However, traditional-phone segment declined 14% year on year and 7% sequentially to 28.7 million units, as the price gap between high-end feature phones and smartphones declined, and consumers opting for smartphones rather than feature phone for their next upgrade.
LG’s traditional-phone segment declining 63% year on year due to the lack of a strong product replacement of its successful LG Cookie.
Sony Ericsson regained third position from LG, with its smartphone shipments increasing to 700% year on year and traditional phones declining 40% compared to previous year’s second quarter.
The market research firm said that Nokia, Samsung, and LG continue to dominate low-end segment of the mobile phone market.
