Global smartphone growth stalled in Q4, up just 1.2% for the full year: Gartner

Gartner's smartphone market share data for the just gone holiday quarter highlights the challenge for device makers going into the world's biggest mobile trade show, which kicks off in Barcelona next week: The analyst's data shows global smartphone sales stalled in Q4 2018, with growth of just 0.1 percent over 2017's holiday quarter, and 408.4 million units shipped. Gartner says Apple recorded its worst quarterly decline (11.8 percent) since Q1 2016, though the iPhone maker retained its second place position with 15.8 percent market share behind market leader Samsung (17.3 percent). Last month the company warned investors to expect reduced revenue for its fiscal Q1 -- and went on to report iPhone sales down 15 percent year over year.