CCID says the sales volume of China's smartphones reached nearly 6.4 million devices in 2007 Q3, up 5.2 percent over 2007 Q2. Sales revenue reached 16.61 billion yuan, increasing 11.3 percent on a month-on-month basis. The firm ascribes this to students buying phones during the summer vacation and to promotions during the Chinese national holiday.
Chinese smartphone operating system market share, Q3 2007
Source: CCID ConsultingAccording to CCID, Symbian OS retained its large lead over other operating systems, thanks to continuing popularity of Nokia's phones in China. Symbian held nearly 70 percent market share, with sales volumes reaching 4.416 million handsets.
Though still representing just over 5 percent of the market, Windows Mobile posted a sequential growth rate of 52 percent, CCID noted. This was attributed in part to the popularity of Windows Mobile-based phones from Motorola, Samsung, Lenovo and Dopod (HTC).
In contrast, although Linux still accounted for more than 25 percent of the market, its sales volume fell, according to CCID. Since one company -- Motorola -- accounts for around 70 percent of the Linux-based smartphone market, the operating system's share was pulled down by declining sales of Motorola's Linux-based models during the third quarter, the market analyst said.
Finally, Palm OS seems to be fading away. Its market share is just one tenth of one percent, and more than 52 percent down compared with the same quarter in 2006, according to CCID.
CCID's report also provides some interesting information on screen size trends. While smartphones with a screen size larger than 2 inches make up more than 90 percent of the market, their share is actually decreasing. Demand for screen sizes larger than 2.4 inches has decreased nearly 13 percent, which the firm speculates is due to customers wanting smaller, lighter phones.
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