Global smartphone market grows 6% as AI and discounts boost demand

Apple Inc.’s iPhone shipments stabilized in the June quarter as the wider smartphone market accelerated its growth, according to independent research.

Global smartphone shipments rose 6.5 per cent, according to IDC, while sales to consumers jumped 6 per cent, per Counterpoint Research figures. Aggressive discounts around China’s 618 shopping festival helped entice consumers in the world’s biggest mobile market, where Xiaomi Corp. and a resurgent Huawei Technologies Co. have been making inroads this year. The new research adds to data from Chinese authorities showing the iPhone staging a recovery since March.