Over 55million smartphone shipments in Q1 2010

While the figure represents a sequential drop of about 1million, seasonal sales cycles always produce lower results in the first quarter of any year compared to the previous quarter. ABI's senior analyst Michael Morgan, said: "Normally we would see a much greater decline in shipments in the first quarter; the fact that the drop was so relatively small highlights the continuing dynamic growth of the smartphone market." According to Morgan, with cheaper models becoming available, the global market is becoming much more diverse. Morgan cited Nokia as an example. Its shipments rose sequentially from 20.8million to 21.5million despite the usual quarterly decline, building on a strong last quarter of 2009 which saw the firm's smartphone shipments expand 25%. This was largely on the strength of new models such as the C and X lines which are really experience-focused, lower-cost smartphones that directly address those newer markets. Nokia has a history of success in lower-cost feature phone markets, but until recently their smartphone lineup was exclusively high-end. "These are not 'iPhone-killers'," noted Morgan. "They're simpler, lower-end devices, not bleeding-edge top-of-the-line technologies, but they can still deliver satisfying social networking and other basic smartphone experiences."