TrendForce Predicts the Global Smartphone Market to Downtrend in 2018
TrendForce has recently unveiled its forecast on the world's smartphone market in 2018. The analysts predict a considerably moderate growth of 2.8% versus the previously stated 5%. 1.498 billion devices are expected to be merchandise globally this year, and it was almost the same figure in 2017 – 1.458 billion. The experts blame unappealing pricing caused by the rise in cost of upstream components.
Global Ranking of Smartphone Production and Market Share by Vendors, 2017–2018
|
Rankings |
2017 |
2018 |
|
1 |
Samsung 21.9% |
Samsung 20.3% |
|
2 |
Apple 15.2% |
Apple 15.7% |
|
3 |
Huawei 10.8% |
Huawei 11,6% |
|
4 |
Oppo 7.6% |
Xiaomi 7.1% |
|
5 |
Vivo 6.6% |
Oppo 7.0% |
|
6 |
Xiaomi 6.4% |
Vivo 6.1% |
|
|
Others 31.6% |
Others 32.2% |
|
Total Global Production: |
1.458 billion |
1.498 billion |
TrendForce forecasts that Samsung would maintain dominance in the global market, benefiting from its most successful A and J models. About 300 million items are expected to be shipped in 2018, meaning a 5% decline versus 2017.
As for Apple and HMD Global, they are preparing for the growth this year. The launch of three new iPhone models is scheduled for the third quarter of 2018, and Nokia will profit from its new cost-effective production strategy. Expectedly, with the plants set in India, Nokia would grow momentum in the low-end and middle-end segments.
Xiaomi is on course to ship 107 million items within 2018, and according to TrendForce, it is likely to outrun such giants as Oppo and Vivo, which would presumably experience a decrease of 5% within the year.
Finally, TrendForce came up with an overview of existing trends in specifications. Large screens, dual cameras, and biometric security systems would supposedly be among the most requested features.