According to a report recently released by US research firm Gartner, global smartphone sales in January-March 2021 will reach 377.99 million units, up 26% from a year ago, a double-digit growth rate. bottom. Sales were boosted by expectations for economic recovery, continuation of people staying at home, and deferred demand from 2020.
Consumers are becoming more optimistic about the economy and the labor market, with the US Consumer Confidence Index soaring, and spending is increasing. However, the number of units sold in the January-March period last year was about 300 million units, down about 20% from the same period last year due to the impact of the new corona. It was the biggest drop since Gartner began keeping track. Compared to the year before last, the number of vehicles sold in the January-March period of this year remained flat.
Samsung regains top spot with 76.61 million units, an increase of 18.4%
The top five manufacturers by manufacturer in January-March 2021 are 1. "< b>Korea Samsung Electronics", 2. "US Apple", 3. "China Xiaomi (Xiaomi )", 4. "China vivo", 5."China OPPO< /b>”.
China Huawei Technologies (Huawei) has disappeared from the top five due to the embargo on semiconductors and other items by the US government. Apple, which rose to the top spot last quarter, dropped one place, and Samsung regained the top spot.
Samsung's sales increased 18.4% year-on-year to 76.61 million units. In addition to the contribution of the launch of low- and mid-range products, such as those priced under US$150 (approximately 16,500 yen), flagship models compatible with the high-speed communication standard "5G" also performed well.
Apple hits record high for iPhone from January to March
Apple sells 58.55 million units. Sales increased by 13.6% year-on-year, a double-digit increase. The 5G-compatible “iPhone 12” series released after October 2020 continues to perform well.
Apple's recently announced quarterly results revealed that sales increased 54% year-on-year to $89.584 billion (about 9.86 trillion yen), setting a record high for the January-March period. made it iPhone sales increased 66% year-on-year to $47.938 billion (approximately 5.28 trillion yen), accounting for more than 50% of total sales.
Driven by the strong iPhone, all product divisions achieved double-digit sales growth following the previous quarter. Double-digit sales growth in all regions of the world.
5G support to reach 35% of global smartphone sales
Gartner analyzes that 5G support was a factor in Apple's strong performance. 5G will be a key growth driver for the company's performance throughout the year.
In addition, Xiaomi, vivo, and OPPO, which were ranked 3rd to 5th in smartphone sales in the January-March period of 2021, also increased by 9.9%, 7.4%, and 8.0%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. These three Chinese companies are also benefiting from 5G.
Gartner predicts that global smartphone sales in 2021 will grow 11.4% year-on-year to 1.5 billion units. In 2020, sales decreased by 10.5% year-on-year due to the impact of the new coronavirus, but it is expected to recover this year. The number of 5G compatible smartphones sold in 2021 is expected to be 539 million units, accounting for 35% of all sales.
On the other hand, this market is consolidating to top manufacturers. The total market share of Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo in the January-March period of 2021 is 69.1%. It expanded from 57.4% in the same period last year.
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