Smartphone shipments to hit 1.7bn in 2017

And emerging markets are expected to account for 57 per cent of them.
Ovum reports that 450m smartphones were sold last year, with emerging markets accounting for 160m of the sales – specifically, China was the driving force for emerging markets and accounted for two-thirds of the sales.
Total smartphone shipments are set to reach 1.7bn in 2017, and emerging markets are to power 57 per cent of devices sold.
Shiv Putcha, principal analyst of telecoms emerging markets, Ovum, said: "China is at the center of smartphone development and adoption in emerging markets, with the whole ecosystem increasingly geared toward the production of ever-more feature-rich affordable devices.
"This new wave of affordable smartphones will have a major impact on consumer choice in emerging markets."
Indeed, low-end smartphones can be bought for sub-$100, though affordability is still an issue in developing countries.
While China is the dominant force, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Russia are also set to show growth.
In other shipments-related news, IDC expects 117.1m tablet shipments in 2012.

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