Smartphone Manufacturers Shipped 1.39 Billion Handsets in 2021

Global smartphone manufacturers shipped a combined 1.39 billion handsets in 2021, the latest Counterpoint Research data has revealed. This represents a 4 percent year-on-year increase, the first increase since 2017.

According to the data, smartphone manufacturers shipped about 1.56 billion mobile devices globally in 2017, after which the number of shipments subsequently declined in the years that followed.

Counterpoint Research also noted that the growth occurred despite the pandemic and worldwide chip shortage. A senior analyst at the firm, Harmeet Singh Walia attributed last year’s shipments growth to pent-up demand in North America, Latin America and India.

It should be recalled that major mobile device and accessory manufacturers shut down production in 2020 at the peak of the pandemic. This affected both sales and supply of smartphones globally.

In the United States, the rise in shipments was largely driven by “demand for Apple’s first 5G-enabled iPhone 12 series seeping through to the first quarter of 2021″, from the previous year, Walia said. Demand during Black Friday sales and holiday promotions in the last quarter of the year also contributed to the surge in sales.

Holding the position as the world’s largest smartphone maker by shipments was South Korean company, Samsung, which shipped about 271 million devices in 2021. This accounts for a 6 percent year-on-year growth as demand for its mid-tier phones increased.

In second place is the iPhone manufacturer, Apple which saw its global smartphone shipments grow by 18 percent year on year to 237.9 million units due to the strong performance of the iPhone 12 series, Investors King has learnt.

Apart from the Black Friday sales in the US, Apple reported a record-high market share in China last quarter, where its shipment volume grew in key markets worldwide.

The research firm in its report stated that Apple, in China “became the top smartphone brand in Q4 after six years thanks to the iPhone 13, consequently overtaking Samsung as the top smartphone globally in Q4 2021.”

With 31 percent year-on-year growth, Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi comes behind Apple and Samsung, shipping about 190 million devices. Although its shipment volume was significantly behind the top two, Xiaomi has currently grown to become the world’s third-largest smartphone manufacturer. Investors King understands that Xiaomi is now India’s top smartphone brand after toppling Samsung in 2018.

Although topping the chart, Samsung recently disclosed that it expects demand for smartphones and tablets to decline in the third quarter (Q3)  of2022, down from the final quarter of 2021 due to weak seasonality and uncertainties over component supply.

According to Counterpoint, some of Samsung’s growth was limited by growing competition in markets like India and Latin America. The company has said that it plans to tackle the sales decline by expanding sales of its flagship Galaxy S series devices and roll out competitive, mass-market 5G handsets.

Two other Chinese smartphone makers, Oppo and Vivo were ranked fourth and fifth, shipping 143.2 million and 131.3 million devices, respectively. Both companies, according to Counterpoint, registered double-digit growths last year in 2021.

Counterpoint Analyst, Singh Walia noted that the smartphone market recovery witnessed in last year, “could have been even better if not for the component shortages that impacted much of the second half of 2021. The major brands navigated the component shortages comparatively better and hence managed to grow by gaining share from long-tail brands,” he added.

The research firm expressed optimism that the smartphone industry’s growth in 2022 could be sustained if only the pandemic is controlled globally and if supply chain shortages of semiconductors and other components hindering shipments are resolved by the middle of the year.