Juniper: Global smartphone shipments to reach 1.2 billion this year

On September 17, market research firm Juniper Research (hereinafter referred to as "Juniper") released a report on Tuesday saying that global smartphone shipments this year will reach nearly 1.2 billion units, a year-on-year increase of 19%.

The report said that while developed markets will still account for the majority of global smartphone shipments, developing regions are becoming increasingly important to smartphone manufacturers. Juniper pointed out that the gap between mature and emerging markets is narrowing because sales of "low-cost economy" smartphones priced between $75 and $150 and "super economy" phones priced below $75 continue to grow significantly.

Meanwhile, smartphone adoption in developed markets such as the United States and Europe has begun to reach saturation point. Specifically, top vendors will continue to dominate the "super-premium" market, with Apple and Samsung expected to account for 45% of global smartphone shipments this year. But both companies' share of the global smartphone market declined last quarter, according to a report released in July by another market research firm, Strategy Analytics.

Samsung's share of the global market fell from 32.6% in the same period last year to 25.2% in the second quarter, while Apple's share fell from 13.4% to 11.9%. Juniper pointed out that both companies are facing competition from local manufacturers in emerging markets and will continue to face more intense competition in the future.

Xiaomi, for example, has used its low-priced phones to carve out healthy market shares in China and India. Strategy Analytics reported that Xiaomi's share of the global smartphone market rose to 5.1% in the second quarter from 1.8% a year earlier, making it the world's fifth-largest smartphone vendor, with shipments growing to 15.1 million from 4.1 million units.

Of the six largest smartphone vendors tracked by Strategy Analytics, Huawei, Lenovo and Xiaomi all gained market share in the second quarter, while Apple, Samsung and LG all lost market share. Analysts also noted that smaller vendors may become more ambitious.

"These new market players are beginning to build market share and achieve greater economies of scale, which will ultimately enable them to expand their product portfolios to challenge other smartphone segments in the future," Juniper said in the report.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.