The IDC says that China will surpass the United States in smartphone shipments in 2012,  with a 26.5 percent share of all global shipments. The US is expected to hold at 17.8 percent of the market. Low-priced Android phones are identified as a key factor in the shift, and as smartphones continue to get cheaper it is expected that the lower-income demographic will enter the market with force.

[Source: IDC]