China will displace the U.S. as the largest smartphone market this year, according to a new study from ABI Research. Brazil and India are also forecasted to be in the top four countries for smartphone shipments by 2018. Smartphone vendor interest and the strategies of the smartphone value chain are shifting accordingly.
Russia is expected to come in as the 11th largest smartphone market in 2013, and will climb to seventh in 2018. “With room to grow, the emerging BRIC nations are displacing established markets such as the U.S. and Japan as market leaders in terms of smartphone shipments,” said Michael Morgan, senior analyst.