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NPD: Low-cost Android smartphones to seize 80% of emerging markets

Categories: Android, Devices, Research
By: , IntoMobile
Friday, February 17th, 2012 at 1:19 AM
NPD: Low-cost Android smartphones to seize 80% of emerging markets

Android will rule the world, we already know that. However, we were still surprised to read NPD’s findings that suggest smartphones running Google’s mobile platform will reach a penetration rate of 80% of total smartphones in Africa, India and China by 2015.

NPD defines low-cost Android smartphones as those running Android 2.2 (Froyo) or 2.3 (Gingerbread), with specs that include EDGE connectivity and 600MHz processor. Price wise, we’re talking about phones that cost $150 or less, and are made by companies like Huawei, MicroMax, Motorola, Samsung, Spice and ZTE.

But it’s not going to be an easy ride for Android, which will face competition from Samsung’s Bada, Nokia’s Meltemi and even Microsoft’s Windows Phone, all of which want a slice of the ever-growing emerging markets of the world.

Some other finding from NPD’s report include:

  • Some 340 million low-cost Android smartphones will be shipped in 2015.
  • The low-cost Android handset segment will cause some fragmentation in the Android platform.
  • Android 4.x Ice Cream Sandwich step-up in memory and processor demands makes this release less attractive for low-cost Android devices.

And you can get additional information from NPD’s website.

About The Author

Dusan Belic

Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.

  • http://twitter.com/UgglyUI UgglyUI

    Open source software FTW

  • http://twitter.com/jmangotweets JMango

    This is where the war of the platforms will be fought.  I wouldn’t discount Microsoft yet though with rumors of low-end Windows Phones coming out.