The smartphone market in Western Europe continued to be impacted by lockdowns in the third quarter of 2020, as shipments declined 6.5% year over year to 28.8 million units, according to an IDC report. The chart presented in our report will show that Apple and Samsung accounted for 64.1% of total shipments in Q3-20.

Although lockdown restrictions were lifted across Europe, the smartphone market continued to be impacted by the economic environment. While consumer spending on smartphones improved slightly, sales of smartphones to enterprises dropped 11.5% year on year as enterprises shifted spending from smartphones to notebooks.

Apple benefited from strong sales of the newly launched iPhone SE (2020) and the continuous performance of its iPhone 11 portfolio. The iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE (2020) were the two best sellers in the quarter.

Francisco Jeronimo, associate vice president at IDC EMEA: "The consumer segment was more resilient in Q3 2020 than the commercial segment, as consumers returned to stores to buy new smartphones. Although sales online exploded in the last two quarters, the reopening of brick and mortar stores proved to be particularly important for the latest devices, as four out of the ten most sold devices in Q3 2020 were devices launched in the previous quarter.

The store continues to be the place where consumers learn and test the latest novelties from vendors. Without that physical experience, consumers tend to choose the products they already know when buying online, making it harder for new brands and new products to succeed."

Shipments of 5G devices reached 3 million units, up 123.1% from the previous quarter to represent 10.4% of the total number of smartphones.

IDC On 5G

In a secondary IDC report, Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers stated: "Despite concerns around weakness in 5G demand, smartphone volumes exceeded the forecast in 3Q20 and supply-side momentum headed into the holiday quarter and 2021 remains strong.  We've come to the conclusion that despite on-going lockdowns and economic concerns, consumers in many markets around the world have shifted their normal spending from things like travel, dining out, and general leisure to things like consumer electronics. Smartphones happen to be a benefactor of this transition."

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From a technology standpoint, 5G is the driving force for the industry right now. IDC expects 5G smartphone shipments to reach close to 10% of global volume in 2020 and grow to 29% in 2024. Despite concerns about the lack of demand for 5G, it is apparent that the wheels are in motion to transition the mobile industry to the latest network technology.