Global Smartphone Sales and Demand in H1

Global smartphone unit demand increased 7% in Q1. The sales reached 310 million units, with growth down from 19 percent year-on-year in Q4 2014. For the second quarter of 2015, the actual number of units sold globally amounted to 302.1 million handsets, up from the 288.3 million purchased during the same quarter last year. That worked out to a 5% increase.

In the two biggest smartphone markets -- North America and China (which also account for the lion's share of worldwide revenue) -- consumers were most interested in higher-end smartphones that cost $500 or more. In the US, low-end handsets that cost up to $250 also proved popular among consumers.

The latest global smartphone sales data from market researcher GfK reveals that 58% of smartphones sold in Q2 2014 were 4G enabled.

Lastly, the average selling price of smartphones in the U.S. during the second quarter declined 1% sequentially from Q1