Smartphones are becoming a fever among Brazilians. Last year, 17 sets were sold per minute in stores across the country. In 2012 this number should jump to 29 devices per minute. 5h1ee
The Brazilian smartphone market grew 84% and reached 9 million devices sold last year, according to an IDC study. For 2012, the expectation is that 15,4 million smartphones will be sold, which represents an increase of 73% compared to last year.
One of the factors that are driving the consumption of the device is the expansion of product offerings by manufacturers, with the launch of cheaper models. According to IDC, after a 19% drop in 2011, prices are expected to drop 6% in 2011.
A smartphone costs, on average, R$800. Prices range from R$350 to R$2,5, depending on the model. “The devices are more affordable today. Contributing to the drop in costs was the subsidy for the purchase of smartphones by operators and the offer of data packages even for prepaid”, says Bruno Freitas, analyst at IDC Brasil.
For the coming years, IDC predicts that the market will continue to show significant growth rates.
Investments in 4G, which should be carried out in 2012 and 2013, should contribute to the growth of the market in Brazil, especially from 2014 onwards. In addition, the government is also studying including smartphones in the tax incentive program, which should attract interest of manufacturers and encourage local production of these devices.
IDC considers smartphones to be devices with an operating system, such as Android, Symbian, Blackberry OS, IOS and Windows Phone. Google's Android devices ed for 50% of sales last year, up from a 15% market share in 2010.
