Global smartphone market may see growth in 2021: IDC

Despite witnessing decline in the previous quarters, the global smartphone market is set to “return to a full recovery” in the next couple of years, as per the latest report by IDC.

“Although we expect year-over-year growth of 9% in 2021, that is only due to the large drop in 2020. The real recovery won’t happen until 2022 when smartphone volumes return to pre-COVID levels,” said Nabila Popal, research director with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. “Other elements beyond 5G will play a role in the market recovery, most notably the continued opportunity in developing markets. There continues to be a strong shift towards low- to mid-end 4G devices in developing regions, which make up over 80% of smartphone volumes in these regions.”