Worldwide Smartphone Shipments to Grow 5.8 Percent in 2024 to Reach 1.23 Billion Units: IDC
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide
Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, worldwide smartphone shipments are expected to
grow 5.8 percent year over year in 2024 to 1.23 billion units.
IDC said the 12 percent growth in the first quarter, followed
by 9 percent growth last quarter, has brought improved optimism about how 2024
will play out in the second half of the year. Affordable Android smartphones
continue to grow rapidly in emerging markets coming off a difficult two years,
while premium markets are starting to embrace GenAI smartphones, generating
excitement and renewed interest in the industry.
"The improved forecast for 2024 cements the road to
recovery for the smartphone market, driven by stronger growth for Android
devices in China and emerging markets," said Nabila Popal, senior research
director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. "The
resulting growth for Android this year will be nine times faster at 7.1 percent
than iOS at 0.8 percent. Apple's softer growth is a result of increasing
competition in China, but also a higher comparison base year. However, there is
a potential upside to the iOS forecast with a lot depending on how well the
demonstrated GenAI use cases play out in the upcoming iPhone 16 launch and how
soon Apple can establish local AI partnerships in China."
"IDC expects the iOS trajectory to improve in 2025 with
4 percent year-over-year growth thanks to Apple Intelligence, which is already
creating a lot of excitement and is expected to gain momentum next year and
encourage faster upgrades," added Popal.
"Although GenAI smartphones are relatively new in the
market, premium flagships will continue to adopt GenAI features to help
separate them from the pack," said Anthony Scarsella, research director
with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. "IDC expects a robust
344 percent growth for GenAI smartphones capturing 18 percent share of the
total market by end of 2024, as most flagships will adopt some on-device GenAI
features. However, GenAI-capable devices won't come cheap initially, as the
average selling price for these GenAI smartphones will be more than double the
cost of non-GenAI capable devices, further driving the premiumization trend."
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