Samsung suffers worst decline in smartphone sales

Samsung’s smartphone sales in the third quarter of 2016 fell 14 per cent year over year because of the disastrous Galaxy Note 7, according to Gartner. The South Korean vendor had a good start to the quarter, but then the battery problem that bedevilled some Galaxy Note 7 smartphones hit sales of the flagship device. […]

Samsung’s smartphone sales in the third quarter of 2016 fell 14 per cent year over year because of the disastrous Galaxy Note 7, according to Gartner.

The South Korean vendor had a good start to the quarter, but then the battery problem that bedevilled some Galaxy Note 7 smartphones hit sales of the flagship device.

The 14 per cent decline in Q3 was its worst performance ever, beating the previous low of a 12 per cent drop in the fourth quarter of 2014.

“The decision to withdraw the Galaxy Note 7 was correct, but the damage to Samsung’s brand will make it harder for the company to increase its smartphone sales in the short term,” said Anshul Gupta, Gartner’s research director.

“For Samsung, it’s crucial that the Galaxy S8 launches successfully, so that partners and customers regain trust in its brand”.

Three Chinese vendors – Huawei, Oppo and BBK Communication Equipment – were the only smartphone vendors in the top five to increase their global sales and market share in Q3.

Together the three accounted for 21 per cent of the smartphones sold to end-users worldwide.