Smartphone sales have declined for the fifth consecutive quarter, making the past year the worst in the history of smartphone shipments, according to new data from research firm IDC.

The data revealed that after a "challenging holiday quarter" at the end of 2018 global smartphone volumes declined 4.1% last year with a total of 1.4 billion units shipped. In the fourth quarter alone, volumes declined 4.9% with 375.4 million units shipped.

[ Related: What to look for in a 4G mobile hotspot ]

And the situation is not expected to get much better this year.

To read this article in full, please click here