More than 907 million smartphones were sold in the first three quarters of this year, almost 94.5 million fewer than in the first nine months of 2019, according to the International Data Corporation.
This year is likely to be the fourth in a row that smartphone sales decline, analysts predict. Despite the drop, however, some models are continuing to perform strongly.
Here are the top six smartphones sold in the first three quarters based on global unit sales, according to industry watchers Omdia, Canalys and IDC.
iPhone 11
Apple sold more than 53 million units of its most popular model in the first nine months of 2020. Sales of the iPhone 11 significantly surpassed the previous best sales record of 32 million units for the iPhone XR in the first three quarters of last year.
The iPhone 11 was rolled out in September 2019 at Dh2,949 ($803) in the UAE, Dh230 less than the launch price tag of 2018’s low-cost iPhone XR. This was the biggest yearly drop in the iPhone's history for a new device of a similar spec to the premium model.
Offering a low-cost, entry-level iPhone allowed Apple to increase its presence in a wider array of price bands – a strategy that competitors Samsung and Huawei have been adopting for years.
Galaxy A51
In December 2019, Samsung launched the A51 as part of its budget-friendly Galaxy A series to attract more customers. Its new 5G variant was launched in April. The phone comes with a 16.5-centimetre display and weighs 187 grams.
The world’s largest manufacturer of smartphones sold close to 19.6 million units in the nine months to September 30.
Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 9
In July 2018, China's Xiaomi, which went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with a valuation of $54 billion. It is known for its affordable devices that draw comparisons with Apple and Samsung phones.
The company managed to sell more than 19 million units of its Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 9 phones in the first three quarters of the year.
The Redmi Note 8 first went on sale in August last year priced at less than Dh500.
Xiaomi's low-end portfolio, particularly the Redmi 9 Series, did well in both India and China. It helped the company ship 46.5 million devices in the third quarter and grab the number three position in global market share, beating Apple for the first time with 13.1 per cent, according to IDC.
iPhone SE
In April, Apple launched its cheapest iPhone, priced at Dh1,699 to attract budget-conscious buyers as it attempts to wrestle market share from rivals Samsung and Huawei.
The strategy paid off and the company sold more than 18.7 million units in the first three quarters of 2020.
“The new SE found success as it managed to effectively target the lower-priced segment, which bodes extremely well for the vendor in this time of [Covid-19] crisis where consumers are shifting towards more budget-friendly devices,” said IDC.
It was the first time that Apple, which typically unveils its phones in September or October each year, launched a new phone without one of its showcase public events.
Galaxy A31
Starting from Dh700, Samsung’s Galaxy A31 comes with a 48MP main camera for better photos and videos. The company has sold more than 12 million units of the A31 since it was rolled out in March.
The South Korean manufacturer incorporated an 'alive intelligence' feature, which included functions such as intelligent searching within all apps, multilingual typing and the smart cropping of images. It also identified important and useful SMS messages, creating 'visual cards' so they can be more easily viewed.
“It’s not just a smartphone, it’s a smarter phone,” the company said.
iPhone XR
Apple's iPhone XR, which retails from Dh2,000, was the best-selling smartphone of 2019. It maintained this momentum in 2020, selling close to 12 million units in the first nine months.
The 2018 iPhone has a 15.5cm display and has 64GB and 128GB storage options.
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Carzaty%2C%20now%20Kavak%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarzaty%20launched%20in%202018%2C%20Kavak%20in%20the%20GCC%20launched%20in%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20140%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Automotive%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarzaty%20raised%20%246m%20in%20equity%20and%20%244m%20in%20debt%3B%20Kavak%20plans%20%24130m%20investment%20in%20the%20GCC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
