Smartphone Shipments Expected to Grow in 2019 After Declining in 2018

Emerging markets, the potential of 5G, and new products are driving growth in smartphone shipments in 2019.

A new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) showed an expected decline of 3% in worldwide smartphone shipments in 2018. While shipments drop from 1.47 billion in 2017 to 1.42 billion units in 2018, IDC is forecasting a 2.6% shipment growth in 2019. Further the research company suggests that potential growth could bring shipments to 1.57 billion units in 2022.

Additional findings:

• The China market represents the largest market and is forecasted to be down 8.8% in 2018 but shows potential to recover and grow through 2022.
• High-end product launches are driving competition and encouraging consumers to upgrade.
• Larger screen smartphones held the highest volume in 2018 at 947.1 million, representing 66.7% of all smartphones. By 2022, shipment volume will reach 1.38 billion, 87.7%.
• While Android smartphones will remain stable, iOS smartphones are expected to drop by 2.5%.

For details of IDC smartphone market forecasts, click here.