The smartphone business has suffered in 2020. We even saw Samsung being overtaken by Huawei in the global sales in the 2nd quarter. By third quarter, the South Korean tech giant then topped US sales and beat Apple for the first time since year 2017. The last quarter of each year is usually better and that’s what happened according to a recent report by IDC. In Q4 2020, shipments of phones returned to positive growth but mainly thanks to Apple which exhibited record performance.
Shipments have improved during the holidays. IDC shared there was a 4.3% year-over-year growth. This despite the pandemic. The numbers were for the worldwide smartphone market. Looking at the data presented by the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, phone makers shipped out 385.9 million devices in Q4 2020.
The number for the whole year went down to 5.9%. However, much potential is seen for this year. IDC said momentum may remain strong for this year with demand for 5G phones increasing and low-cost to mid-range phones becoming more popular. Promotions are also becoming more aggressive.
IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers research director Nabila Popal also said: “Vendors also seem to be better prepared for the second lockdown, ensuring they have the right channel set up ready to fulfill orders and reach the end consumer. Lockdowns also have people spending less on areas like leisure, travel, and dining out – and smartphones are benefitting from this. In addition to all these factors, the fast recovery and resilience of the smartphone supply chain also has to be given some credit.”
The pandemic isn’t over and so many people are still encouraged to stay at home. With this reality, we need all the gadgets to survive and remain connected. We’ll see this year what company will make it bigger or at least bounce back.
Top 5 Smartphone Companies
The Top 5 smartphone vendors are as follows: Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, and Huawei. Apple sold 90.1 million devices, thanks to the iPhone 12’s success.
Samsung was down to number two with 73.9 million device shipments and only 19.1% market share. Xiaomi shipped 43.3 million (11.2% market share) while OPPO shipped 33.8 million (8.8% market share). Huawei went down to number five with only 32.3 million (8.4% market share).