Worldwide sales of smartphones decline 2%, first since 2008: Gartner

Worldwide sales of smartphones to end users declined two per cent in 2019, the first time since 2008 that the global market for such phones experienced a decline, Gartner, Inc said.

But they are on track to reach 1.57 billion units in 2020, an increase of three per cent year over year, the research and advisory company said.

“2019 was a challenging year for smartphone vendors, primarily due to oversupply in the high-end sector in mature markets and longer replacement cycles overall,” Research Vice President at Gartner, Annette Zimmermann said.

“However, in 2020, the market is expected to rebound with the introduction of 5G network coverage in more countries and as users who may have delayed their smartphone purchases until 2020 in expectation of price reductions begin buying again,” she was quoted as saying in a Gartner statement.