Gartner : Says Worldwide Smartphone Sales to Grow 11% in 2021
February 03, 2021 at 03:40 am EST
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STAMFORD, Conn. February 3, 2021
Gartner Says Worldwide Smartphone Sales to Grow 11% in 2021
5G Smartphones Are Forecast to Account for 35% of Total Smartphone Sales in 2021
Worldwide sales of smartphones to end users will total 1.5 billion units in 2021, a 11.4% growth year over year, according to Gartner, Inc.
'In 2020,consumers reduced spending on smartphones but availability of new products, will see users drive significant uptick in demand in 2021,' said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner. 'The combination of delayed smartphone replacements and the availability of lower end 5G smartphones are poised to increase smartphone sales in 2021.' Gartner analysts expect smartphone sales in 2021 to be close to 2019 levels.
After recording a 10.5% decline in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry, smartphone sales are forecast to rebound in 2021. Mature Asia Pacific, Western Europe, and Latin America are expected to exhibit the strongest growth between 2020 and 2021 (see Table 1).
Table 1. Worldwide Smartphone Sales by Region, 2019-2021 (Thousands of Units)
Region
2019
2020
2021
Eastern Europe
47,358
42,960
49,364
Emerging Asia/Pacific
369,359
336,897
365,891
Eurasia
48,341
43,473
47,261
Greater China
407,449
368,016
409,968
Latin America
131,954
116,301
134,349
Mature Asia/Pacific
31,085
26,311
30,457
Middle East and North Africa
75,208
71,477
79,112
North America
159,974
136,257
151,750
Sub-Saharan Africa
91,537
84,440
94,293
Western Europe
146,747
125,430
142,796
Japan
31,643
27,159
30,118
Grand Total
1,540,655
1,378,719
1,535,358
Source: Gartner (February 2021)
5G Is the Next Frontier of Growth for Smartphones
The growing availability of 5G networks coupled with a higher variety of 5G smartphones starting at $200 will steer demand in mature markets and China. Demand in emerging countries will be driven by buyers looking for a smartphone with better specifications and a 5G connectivity as an optional feature. Gartner forecasts sales of 5G smartphones will total 539 million units worldwide in 2021, which will represent 35% of total smartphone sales in that year (see Table 2).
'5G is now a standard feature in premium smartphones, especially in the U.S., China, Japan and South Korea,' said Mr. Gupta. 'Driven by lower-cost models, adoption is particularly aggressive in China, where 5G smartphone share is on pace to reach 59.5% in 2021. In addition, lower end 5G smartphones, which are becoming more prevalent outside China, are poised to drive more momentum for 5G smartphones in 2021 across all regions.'
Gartner clients can read more in 'Forecast: Mobile Phones, Worldwide, 2018-2024, 4Q20 Update.'
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Gartner Inc. published this content on 03 February 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 03 February 2021 08:39:05 UTC.
Gartner, Inc. specializes in analysis and consulting services in IT and communication technologies. Net sales break down by activity as follows:
- research and analysis services (82.7%): conducting analyzes, market assessment, and publication of research to help clients gain market visibility and select suppliers of products or services best suited to their needs;
- consulting services (8.7%): consulting services in the selection and implementation of IT projects, digital marketing strategy, development and realization of information systems architectures, digital transformation projects, etc.;
- organization of congresses, conferences and exhibitions (8.6%).
At the end of 2023, the group had around 2,500 analysts and 950 consultants around the world.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: the United States and Canada (66.2%), Europe/Middle East/Africa (22.6%) and other (11.2%).
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