Global smartphone sales grew 5% to 320 million units in Q2 (april-june) compared with the same period last year, with 4G smartphones accounting for 58% of the total, doubling the 26% in the same period last year, according to a survey released by GfK Japan on Sunday. In terms of size, the sales volume of smart phones with more than 5 inches increased by 17 percentage points to 48% compared with the same period last year, among which the sales volume of phones with more than 5 inches in the Chinese market accounted for 63%, ranking the highest in the world.

GfK said the global average price of smartphones rose 3 percent in Q2 from the same period last year, but it expects the average price to fall 1 percent in 2015.

In terms of the sales of smart phones by region, Q2 China's smart phone sales declined by 10% to 88.7 million units compared with the same period last year, showing a decline for the second consecutive quarter (Q1 declined by 14%), and it is the only region in contraction. GfK said China's smartphone sales continued to shrink in Q2, but sales of high-priced models ($500 + models) surged 49 percent from the same period last year, the largest increase in the world. It also forecast that sales of high-priced models in China are expected to increase 28 percent annually in 2015.

In the Middle East/Africa market, smartphone sales surged 24% to 39.4 million units in Q2, the largest increase in the world. Emerging Asia Pacific (APAC) countries (including India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) saw sales jump 22% to 44.2 million units. APAC advanced countries (including Taiwan, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea) saw sales grow 6 percent to 14.7 million units, led by Japan, which saw Q2 smartphone sales jump 15 percent.

In North America, smartphone sales grew 10% to 44.4 million units, in central and South America 1% to 25.2 million units, in central/eastern Europe 3% to 15.2 million units, and in Western Europe 9% to 30.3 million units.

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