Topline
While overall smartphone sales fell in 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic on consumer spending and global supply chains, the successful fourth quarter launch of the 5G iPhone pushed Apple to the top of global quarterly sales for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2016.
POLAND – 2021/02/19: In this photo illustration an Apple logo seen displayed on a smartphone with … [+]
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Key Facts
Global sales of smartphones declined by 12.5% in 2020, according to global research and advisory firm, Gartner Inc.
Smartphone sales fell by 5.4% in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Apple regained its position as the globe’s top smartphone vendor in the fourth quarter, selling almost 80 million units, and achieving a 20.8% market share, up from 70 million units (17.1% market share) in fourth quarter 2019.
The last quarterly period that Apple occupied the top spot of global smartphone vendors was in the fourth quarter for 2016, Gartner said.
In the fourth quarter, Apple’s smartphone sales were followed by South Korea’s Samsung (62 million units), Xiaomi of China (43.4 million) and OPPO of China (34.3 million).
While Samsung witnessed a 14.6% decline in smartphone sales in 2020, it still remained the world’s biggest seller for the full year.
Crucial Quote
“The sales of more 5G smartphones and lower-to-mid-tier smartphones minimized the market decline in the fourth quarter of 2020. Even as consumers remained cautious in their spending and held off on some discretionary purchases, 5G smartphones and pro-camera features encouraged some end users to purchase new smartphones or upgrade their current smartphones in the quarter,” said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner.
Key Background
Gartner has attributed the overall decline in smartphone sales to pandemic-related disruption in the global supply chain and reduced consumer confidence. During the early days of the pandemic, smartphone manufacturing facilities across China were shut down. For the full year, Samsung sold 253 million units, down from 296 million in 2019, while Apple sold nearly 200 million, up from 193 million in the prior year. Apple’s fourth quarter jump in sales was helped by the launch of the 5G iPhone 12 series in October, while Samsung faced significant competition from regional smartphone manufacturers like China’s Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo. Annette Zimmerman, an analyst at Gartner, said the momentum from Apple’s 5G iPhone sales should carry over into 2021 as the overall market continues to recover. Of the top five global vendors for 2020, only Apple (3.3%) and Xiaomi (15.7%) showed sales growth. Meanwhile, China’s Huawei suffered a 24.1% decline in annual sales and a 41% fall in the fourth quarter – its performance was hurt by the U.S. government’s prohibition of the use of Google applications on Huawei’s smartphones.
What To Watch For
Gupta said in a statement that in 2021, the availability of “lower end 5G smartphones and innovative features will be deciding factors for end users to upgrade their existing smartphones. The rising demand for affordable 5G smartphones outside China will boost smartphone sales in 2021.”
Further Reading
The $40 Smartphone Must Be Terrible, Right? Wrong (Forbes)
Xiaomi Reveals Flagship Smartphone With Under-Screen Camera (Forbes)
The post Global Smartphone Sales Declined 12.5% In 2020, But Apple’s 5G IPhone Sales Jumped In Fourth Quarter – Forbes appeared first on abangtech.
source https://abangtech.com/global-smartphone-sales-declined-12-5-in-2020-but-apples-5g-iphone-sales-jumped-in-fourth-quarter-forbes/
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