The International Data Corporation (IDC) has released its latest quarterly figures showing the state of the global smartphone market, and for the second quarter in a row growth has been flat compared to the same period last year.

Back in April, in the IDC reported that smartphone shipments for the first quarter of the 2016 had increased by just 0.2 percent compared to Q1 2015. And with the second quarter showing year-on-year growth of just 0.3 percent, it seems we've hit a peak saturation point.

Again, Samsung remains the top manufacturer with 77 million units shipped, a 5.5 percent increase from the 73 million units shipped during the same period last year. The Korean company moved more units than second-place Apple and third-placed Huawei combined.

Samsung's overall market share has jumped 1.1 percentage points to 22.4 percent, almost double Apple's 11.8 percent share. Q2 was the Korean company's most successful quarter in two years, thanks mainly to the popularity of its Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge phones.

Apple was the only company in the top five that saw both its YoY market share and shipments fall. The iPhone-maker's shipment volumes dopped15 percent from 47.5 million units to 40.4 million, while its market share retracted from 13.9 percent to 11.8 percent. Despite the decrease, IDC did note that the 4-inch iPhone SE captured many first-time buyers and Android users looking to switch over from Google's ecosystem.

Vendor 2Q16 Shipment Volumes 2Q16 Market Share 2Q15 Shipment Volumes 2Q15 Market Share Year-Over-Year Change
Samsung 77.0 22.4% 73.0 21.3% 5.5%
Apple 40.4 11.8% 47.5 13.9% -15.0%
Huawei 32.1 9.4% 29.6 8.6% 8.4%
OPPO 22.6 6.6% 9.6 2.8% 136.6%
vivo 16.4 4.8% 9.1 2.7% 80.2%
Others 154.8 45.1% 173.6 50.7% -10.8%
Total 343.3 100.0% 342.4 100.0% 0.3%

It was more good news for the Chinese-based phone manufacturers. Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo retained their 3rd, 4th, and 5th positions, with all three companies seeing YoY increases in shipments and market shares. Oppo showed the biggest improvement; its shipments jumped 136.6 percent compared to the same period in 2015.

We'll have to wait and see if the market picks up later in the year. Samsung's next Galaxy Note could give overall sales a boost, but the rumored lack of new features on the iPhone 7 may be a problem for Apple; a recent survey saw 46 percent of current iPhone owners say they wouldn't at all be likely to upgrade if it didn't have a brand new design.

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