Omdia: Smartphone sales increased in 2021 despite unimpressive Q4

Smartphone shipments increased on a yearly basis during 2021, revealed Omdia in its latest market analysis. Over 1.3 billion units were pushed by makers, which is 3.4% more than 2020, despite a 6.7% dip in sales during the Q4 period.

Samsung remained on top, ahead of Apple and Xiaomi. Huawei, which used to be third in sales back in 2020, slipped to 9th position overall, falling behind its former subsidiary Honor after a major 81% decline.

The biggest winner in this pandemic year was Realme, increasing its sales 48.6%, more than any other major manufacturer.

LG’s decision to pull out of the smartphone market helped Motorola, Omdia revealed. The Lenovo-owned brand grew shipments as it expanded its market in North America and Latin America regions.

Tecno is another brand that did well over the past 12 months. It managed to sell devices at competitive prices in developing regions so well, it increased its overall result by 31.7%.

The year might have been positive overall, but the last three months weren't as great as the 2020 Holiday season. Omdia’s report shows that Xiaomi, vivo, and Oppo declined, while Samsung, Apple, and Realme increased their volumes.

Zaker Li, Principal Analyst at Omdia said the reason is lack of components supply because it impacted the production of low-end smartphones.

Expectations for the new year are for the uncertainties to continue, and the supply chain issues to continue causing disruptions.