5G devices to help boost smartphone shipments by 7.4% this year to 1.37 billion

Image: Sitthiphong, Getty Images/iStockphoto

The planetary smartphone marketplace volition signifier a steadfast betterment successful 2021 pursuing a dour 2020 that was wounded by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, probe steadfast IDC predicted that smartphone shipments astir the satellite would emergence by 7.4% for this twelvemonth to deed 1.37 billion, a beardown bounce from past twelvemonth erstwhile shipments fell by astir 6%.

SEE: Research: How 5G volition alteration business (TechRepublic Premium)  

Contributing to proviso concatenation issues and economical woes, the pandemic dramatically affected smartphone shipments successful 2020. Though the proviso concatenation has yet to afloat recover, the manufacture has shown astatine slightest immoderate maturation compared with 2019.

Shipments crossed the largest markets, including the United States, Western Europe and China, volition inactive beryllium down this twelvemonth versus 2019. Instead, the betterment is being boosted by increasing markets specified arsenic India, Japan, the Middle East and Africa.

"The smartphone marketplace was amended prepared from a proviso concatenation position heading into 2020 fixed astir each regions were expecting to grow, and vendors were preparing accordingly," Ryan Reith, radical vice president with IDC's Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers, said successful the report.

"2020 was a bust owed to the pandemic, but each of the apical brands continued guardant with their accumulation plans with the main quality that the timeline was pushed out," Reith added. "Therefore, we are astatine a constituent wherever inventory levels are overmuch healthier than PCs and immoderate different adjacent markets, and we are seeing the resilience of user request successful caller quarterly results."

Image: IDC

5G continues to beryllium the large origin driving growth. Vendors and retailers are some pushing 5G devices with overmuch higher mean selling prices compared with older 4G phones. The ASP of a 5G telephone is expected to deed $634 successful 2021, astir the aforesaid arsenic successful 2020. However, ASPs for 4G devices volition driblet to $206, a 30% diminution from past year.

SEE: Samsung Galaxy S21 Series: A cheat expanse (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

"Despite the ongoing issues surrounding the pandemic and the delta variant, consumers are continuing to upgrade to much premium smartphones this year," Anthony Scarsella, IDC probe manager for mobile phones, said successful the report. "Premium smartphones (priced astatine $1,000+) continued to turn successful the 2nd 4th arsenic the conception displayed 116% maturation from past year. Moreover, ASPs crossed the full marketplace climbed 9% arsenic purchaser preferences inclination towards much costly 5G models than entry-level devices."

With the terms differences and request for 5G phones, full 5G shipments crossed the satellite volition scope 570 cardinal this year, up 123% from 2020. China volition proceed to predominate the 5G telephone marketplace with a 47% share, followed by the U.S. with 16%, India with 6.1% and Japan with 4.1%. By the extremity of 2022, 5G phones are apt to carve retired much than fractional of each smartphone shipments, accounting for a 54% slice.

iPhones volition drawback 13.8% of the maturation anticipated this year, with Android devices kicking successful 6.2%. Beyond this year, wide maturation successful shipments volition continue, but drip down to 3.4% successful 2022 and 2023, according to IDC.

Also see