From a price perspective, ASPs in emerging markets will post single-digit CAGR declines from 2013 to 2017, led by Asia Pacific enabling more users to afford smartphones for the first time and in many cases, allow users to bypass purchasing feature phones altogether and go straight to smartphones.

"A number of trends co-exist in the global smartphone market, but none have more of an affect on driving market growth than the steady decline in ASPs," IDC said.

The firm forecasts that ASP in Asia Pacific will decline to $215 per unit by 2017 from $262 a unit in 2013.

Earlier, IDC in a survey had said that smartphone sales are expected to extend their strong growth trend in 2013 with some 918 million units worldwide, led by gains in big emerging markets China, Brazil and India.

IDC said the growing middle classes in China, Brazil, and India are driving up smartphone sales.

India is expected to become the number three market for smartphones by 2017, and Brazil will be fourth, as those countries overtake mature markets like Japan and Britain, the firm has said then.

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