Global mobile sales dip 3% in Q3

According to the latest Garnter numbers, sales of mobile phones reached almost 428 million units in Q3, down 3.1 per cent from a year ago, even as smartphone sales accounted for 39.6 per cent of total mobile phone sales, as smartphone sales zoomed 46.9 per cent.

"After two consecutive quarters of decline in mobile phone sales, demand has improved in both developed and emerging markets as sales increased sequentially," said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner.

He added that the growth was driven by the qworld's largest market China where sales growth was driven by smartphones, but demand of feature phones remained weak, while mature markets finally saw replacement sales picking up with the launch of new devices in the quarter.

Nokia slipped from the No 3 slot in the second quarter to a distant No 7 in smartphones in Q3, while RIM moved to the No 3 spot followed by HTC at No 4.

"Both HTC and RIM have seen their sales declining in the past few quarters, and the challenges might prevent them from holding on to their current rankings in coming quarters," Gupta added.

While seasonality in the fourth quarter will help end-of-year sales, Gartner warned that there will be a lower-than-usual boost from the holiday season as "consumers are either cautious with their spending or finding new gadgets like tablets, as more attractive presents".

Nokia's sales declined 21.9 per cent, but overall sales at 82.3 million were better than Gartner's early estimate, largely driven by

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