SEOUL (REUTERS) - Global shipments of smartphones shrank 3 per cent in the first quarter from a year earlier in the market's first year-on-year contraction on record, researcher Strategy Analytics said on Thursday (April 28), reflecting growing strains on the industry.

Strategy Analytics said in a statement that January-March shipments fell to 334.6 million devices from 345 million in the same period a year earlier, as major markets such as China matured and concerns about the global economy weighed on consumer sentiment.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics remained the world's top smartphone maker, but saw shipments fall by 4.5 per cent to 79 million, Strategy Analytics said. The firm's market share dipped slightly, to 23.6 per cent from 24 per cent a year earlier.

Apple Inc remained in second place, but saw shipments fall 16 per cent to 51.2 million from a year earlier as Strategy Analytics cited what it called "iPhone fatigue". Apple's market share dropped to 15.3 per cent from 17.7 per cent a year earlier, the researcher said.