According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics (www.strategyanalytics.com), global smartphone shipments grew 12 percent annually to hit a record 1.4 billion units in 2015. Samsung maintained first position and captured 22%global smartphone marketshare.

"Global smartphone shipments grew just 6% annually from 380.1 million units in Q4 2014 to 404.5 million in Q4 2015,” said Linda Sui, director at Strategy Analytics. “This quarter was the smartphone industry's slowest growth rate of all time. Smartphone growth is slowing due to increasing penetration maturity in major markets like China and consumer worries about the future of the world economy. Global smartphone shipments grew 12 percent annually from 1.28 billion in full-year 2014 to a record 1.44 billion in 2015.”

Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, adds: ”Samsung shipped 81.3 million smartphones worldwide in Q4 2015, growing an above-average 9 percent annually from 74.5 million units in Q4 2014. This was Samsung's fastest growth rate for almost two years and it helped Samsung to stay ahead of Apple and maintain first position with 20 percent share for the quarter and 22 percent share for the full year.

“Samsung is widely rumored to be launching its new Galaxy S7 flagship model in the coming weeks and this should enable Samsung to consolidate its smartphone leadership. Apple shipped 74.8 million smartphones worldwide and captured 18 percent marketshare in Q4 2015, barely changed from a year earlier when it delivered 74.5 million units in Q4 2014. Apple's iPhone growth is peaking. Apple will have to expand into new markets like India or Nigeria if it wants to reignite iPhone growth in 2016.”