Entry level smartphone sales to top 185 million by 2015 as prices fall

The transition from a mobile market previously dominated by feature phones to one led by the leagues of smartphones already on the shop shelves is, of course, well under way.

It's generally understood that, as consumers adapt to the functionality of iPhone, Android and the like, so smartphones will fully expand into the mainstream and result in even stronger sales than they currently enjoy in the years to come.

Cheers and cheerful

Research firm Juniper has gone as far as to put a number to this apparent expansion, predicting that shipments of entry level smartphones low cost devices without the grunt afforded those at the other end of the spectrum will top 185 million units by 2015.

Entry level handset pricing will, in the firm's view, drop by almost half within that time, from an average of $150 in 2010 to $80 in 2015.

This, in large part, will be driven by the launch own brand handsets from operators, directly pitched at consumers on a budget who, in the past, might not have considered upgrading to a smartphone.

An eye on Asia

"In 2010, operators like Vodafone and Orange kick-started the low-cost smartphone market with devices in the $150 range," said Juniper analyst Anthony Cox, summarising that the continued fall in prices thanks to increased competition and the lower cost of chipsets will expand their influence in the years to come.

Growth won't be limited to the west, however, with Cox concluding in his report - Low Cost Handsets & Entry Level Smartphones: Analysis & Forecasts 2010-2015 that cheaper entry level smartphones will also have a considerable impact on the Indian and Chinese market.

Conversely, major Asian budget OEMs like ZTE and Huawei will also target consumers in the west as the drive for cheap devices picks up.

The full report can be downloaded for £980 from Juniper's website.