Global smartphone sales fall. In the second quarter of 2015, global smartphone sales fell to their lowest level since 2013, according to Gartner consultants. Although demand for cheap 3G and 4G smart phones is continuing to drive growth on emerging markets, global sales of smartphones is mixed in the rest of the world and is subject to regional disparities. The emerging economies of Asia/Pacific (with the exception of China), Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa are the regions where growth is strongest. One particularity needs to be stressed: although China is still the biggest smartphone market in the world, a slowdown in sales was registered for the first time in the second quarter of this year with -4% (in volumes sold) compared to the second quarter in 2014. This is the first fall registered in the history of the smartphone industry in China. Nonetheless, the country remains the biggest smartphone market in the world with 30% share in the second quarter. Gartner emphasises that China has now entered a mature phase and the majority of smartphone sales were now being concluded with consumers who already had one but were now opting for improved smartphone models. In the second quarter of 2015, the Samsung group still had highest global market share with 21.9% (as opposed to 26.2% in the second quarter of 2014), followed by Apple (14.6% in 2015, as opposed to 12.2% in 2014), Huawei (7.8% in 2015, 6.1% in 2014), Lenovo (5% in 2015, 6.6% in 2014) and Xiaomi (4.9% in 2015, 4.3% in 2014). India is the new emerging El Dorado for smartphone sector giants, even though the market is still much smaller. This year, just over 100 million smart phones are expected to be sold there, which is four times fewer than in China, explains Gartner. Nonetheless, growth potential there is much higher because smartphone sales are still far fewer than those for traditional mobile phones. In the second quarter of the year, these sales leapt by 44% in the country, according to statistics provided by IDC consultants. The latter now considers India as the most promising market in this field. Indonesia is also attracting the interest of market leaders. It has the fourth-largest population in the world and its GDP grew by 5% in 2014. Its population's purchasing power continues to grow and this year, smartphone sales there are expected to leap by 20% (in volume) compared to 2014. Finally, the population in Africa is now also shifting more towards smart phones. At the beginning of 2015, they accounted for almost half of mobile sales on the continent, explained IDC. With the emergence of affordable models (less than €100) growth is shifting upwards. Nigeria and South Africa are the most dynamic markets with growth rates of 135% and 56% respectively in the first quarter of 2015. In the Middle East, the star pupil is Pakistan where smart phone sales increased by 123% at the beginning of the year thanks to the successful market deployment of 3G and 4G. Nonetheless, the country is on its own when it comes to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which remain the main markets in the region. In total, 155 million smart phones are expected to be sold in Africa and the Middle East in 2015. (Isabelle Lamberty)