Skip to main content

Survey says smartphones outsold PCs for the first time ever

phonesAccording to research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), smartphones outsold PCs in the fourth quarter of 2010. This marks the first time that smartphones have ever outsold computers. Both devices saw increased sales in this year’s quarter over 2009, but smartphones’ experienced a massive increase and PCs, a very slight jump.

IDC reports that smartphone vendors shipped 100.9 million devices this last fourth quarters, which is an 87.2 percent increase over Q4 2009. PCs increased shipments slightly by 5.5 percent. Analysts claim the poor PC performance is due to competing computing devices as well as consumers being more “cautious” about purchasing computers. Regardless of the traditional PC’s performance, the smartphone numbers don’t appear to be a fluke. Senior research analyst with IDC Kevin Restivo claims there will be various factors to keep consumers buying new smartphones. “Mobile phone users will find compelling reasons to turn in their older models as new ones are launched with dual-core processors and near-field communication chips.”

Recommended Videos

We already know that Android phones have turned out some remarkable numbers this year, and IDC’s research only supports this. Android’s impressive growth has acted as a catalyst for the smartphone market, senior research analyst Ramon Llamas says. “It has become the cornerstone of multiple vendors’ smartphone strategies, and has quickly become a challenger to market leader Symbian.” Despite Symbian’s ties with Nokia, Android’s expanding relationships with various vendors and manufacturers (such as HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung) are challenging other brands.

Nokia, Apple, RIM, Samsung, and HTC were the smartphone. But that’s somewhat misleading: Nokia can largely thank its older devices for its shipment numbers, and still hasn’t found favor with the North American demographic (see the cancelled X7). The iPhone gained with the worldwide market and is also improving its reputation with the corporate world. RIM, more or less, stood its ground, with the real victors appearing to be Samsung and HTC. Both companies vastly improved their market performance, which Samsung can likely attribute to its Galaxy S series and HTC to its increased brand awareness.

So what’s in store for the future of smartphones? The study reasons that more affordable mid-range and low-end smartphones will be marketed to reach a wider audience, and that prices are going to drop on high-end models as well. All good news for consumers, who might end up grabbing smartphones for lower prices despite earlier projections.

top five
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
Samsung aped iPhone filters, but served it better on the Galaxy S25
Using filters on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

With the arrival of the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung introduced a bevy of camera-centric changes. Take for example the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which upgrades to a 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a new Spatio Temporal filter for blur reduction, 8K capture across all lenses, default 10-bit HDR recording, and more. But the company silently gave a massive boost to filters.

So far, users have only been able to pick a filter and capture media with the effect applied on top. There was no scope for fine-tuning the filter characteristics in real time. That limitation has finally gone to the grave with the Galaxy S25 series.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. iPhone 15: worth jumping ship?
The Galaxy S25 series held in someone's hand.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 has launched to a crowded arena, where it competes against multiple generations of iPhone. Don't get us wrong — all are fantastic devices with specs that make expert guesses from a decade ago look wildly inaccurate — but with every new phone generation, there are objectively better picks. The Apple iPhone 15 may not be the latest version of Apple's flagship, but it's a strong smartphone, and if you're using an iPhone 15, you may be wondering if it's worth jumping ship when it's time to upgrade.

So which one of these two phones is the better choice? There are a lot of factors involved, and it ultimately depends on what you're most interested in: performance, storage, AI functionality, photographic potential, or something else. We'll break down the differences between the two options, but as for which of the two phones is the better choice, that is up to you. Here's what we think.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. iPhone 15: specs

Read more
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Plus: which mid-priced phone is the best?
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Plus.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is the latest mid-sized flagship phone from Samsung, positioned between the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Ultra. This makes it a strong contender against the Apple iPhone 16 Plus in terms of specifications and pricing. Both devices have a lot to offer, but is one clearly better than the other?

The Galaxy S25 Plus features a powerful processor, a stunning display, and a versatile camera system. On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Plus is praised for its sleek design, user-friendly interface, and deep integration with the Apple ecosystem.

Read more