Smartphone sales expected to drop 2.5% globally this year – TechCrunch

Smartphone sales have continued their global decline. New numbers from Gartner forecast a drop of 2.5 percent down to 1.5 billion. The biggest hits to the industry are Japan, Western Europe and North America, which saw drops of 6.5, 5.3 and 4.4 percent, respectively. It’s all part of a continued trend we’ve highlighted several times before. Slowed upgrade cycles, pricier phones a bad economy.