Smartphone shipments in Australia continued to slide during Q3 on weak consumer demand caused by economic instability, but research company IDC noted a rise in the average selling price (ASP) of 5.1 per cent year-on-year.

The company opted to report the figure as US currency rather than Australian, pegging the ASP at $813.

It stated smartphones priced above $1,000 recorded growth, driven by the release of the Samsung Galaxy Z5 series and Apple iPhone 15 line-up.

IDC Australia lead analyst Yash Gupta noted economic uncertainty is making consumers more cautious with their spending. “Ongoing increases in interest rates, coupled with recent cost of living pressures, are expected to further dampen consumer demand.”

Shipments dropped 9.3 per cent to 1.8 million units, a fourth consecutive quarter of annual declines.

Apple, Samsung, Oppo and HMD registered declines, while fifth-placed Lenovo booked 18.6 per cent growth, taking its market share from 2.5 per cent in Q3 2022 to 3.3 per cent.

US-based Apple remained the market leader with a 52 per cent market share, up from 49.7 per cent.

Samsung recorded a 28.9 per cent share compared with 29 per cent; Oppo 5 per cent (5.1 per cent); and HMD remained on 3.8 per cent.

IDC forecast demand would remain subdued in Q4 and the first half of 2024, with a single-digit drop in shipments expected in the current quarter.