Yet another study confirms cellphone sales down, smartphone growth still strong

Here we go again. It seems research firms are all catching on to the fact that the smartphone revolution is in full swing. While the rest of the mobile market seems to be faltering, yet another study confirms that the smartphone market is showing robust growth. Gartner says that smartphone shipments increased 12.7% to 36 million units in the first quarter of 2009, accounting for 13.5% of all mobile phones sales during that period.

Sales of cellphones overall saw a 9.4% decline in Q1 2009, compared to the same quarter in 2008 – the steepest decline in cellphone demand since Gartner first starting keeping track of the market. That puts Q1 mobile shipments at about 269 million units, a figure that matches up well with other research.

But, the smartphone market has proven resilient. “Much of the smartphone growth during the first quarter of 2009 was driven by touchscreen products, both in mid-tier and high-end devices,” said principal Gartner analyst Roberta Cozza.

Nokia maintained its position as the world’s largest mobile phone maker, claiming 36.2% of the global cellphone market. But, that majority share is still down from 39.1% a year earlier. Samsung took the No. 2 spot, with fellow South Korean company LG bringing up the third-place position. Motorola and Sony Ericsson fell to fourth and fifth-place, respectively.

With the Palm Pre and the new iPhone expected to further publicize the smartphone and popularize the idea of anytime-anywhere-information-access, the smartphone boom isn’t likely to slow down anytime soon.

[Via: CNNMoney]