Gartner: smartphone sales to grow 11% in 2021, 5G to reach 35% share

The smartphone world will return to growth in 2021, according to Gartner's forecast. The researcher projects an 11.4% increase in sales over 2020, that would see more than 1.5 billion smartphones being shipped.

The market recorded a 10.5% decline in 2020 due to the pandemic. A total of 1.378b phones were shipped, down from the 1.540b in 2019. Gartner expects the markets in the Asia Pacific, Western Europe and Latin America to see the strongest growth in 2021. China, specifically, is projected to consume 40 million phones more than last year.

5G phones will account for 35% of the global smartphone sales. Further, 5G phone sales are expected to double compared to 2020, thanks to the broader availability of 5G networks and the lower starting price of 5G phones - around $200.

5G phones will see increased demand in markets like China this year.

Despite the expected uptick in smartphone sales, 2021 likely won't match the figures of 2019.

Source