99% of Smartphone Sold in Argentina are LTE Enabled: Counterpoint

According to a new report by research firm Counterpoint, 99 percent of Smartphone Sold in Argentina are LTE Enabled.

The report said Argentina smartphones sales grew 59 percent annually in Q3 2017, and 22 percent compared to the previous quarter.

Commenting on the 3rd Quarter findings, Tina Lu, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research said, "Argentina is an extremely closed market. Imports of mobile devices are allowed only with special authorization. Less than 3 percent of all the mobile devices sold between January and September, were imported as imported devices are subject to greater than 110 percent duties."

Tina said, "Most devices are assembled in the Tierra del Fuego region. This confers a high assembly cost, but still less than import duties. The consequence of the high production costs is that Argentinean consumers have to pay, on average, as much as double the price compared to Chile and USA, for similar models."

The report said that more than one out of every two devices sold in Argentina is a Samsung. Although its sales volume grew more than 26 percent in Q3 2017 annually, it lost more than 10 percent of market share compared to Q3 2016.

LG has been Samsung's biggest competitor. Its share increased only marginally, by 1 percent YoY, but its sales volume increased more than 71 percent annually. Its Kseries smartphones were very competitive, which helped the brand to grow above the market rate however it is facing tough competition from both Samsung and Motorola.

Motorola grew its smartphone volume by 254 percent YoY. It more than doubled its volume share reaching 13.9 percent. The launch of its C series has allowed the brand to compete for head to head with Samsung's lower J series, Counterpoint said.

Huawei grew its share slightly compared to last year. Huawei has successfully built its brand in Argentina over the last year. However, local assembly requirement forces it to have a limited portfolio, compared to its offerings Mexico or Colombia; this has been a roadblock to the brand's growth.

Alcatel also more than doubled its share and volume sales, compared to 3Q16. It has been facing difficulty in getting enough product and has lacked investment in its brand.