Global smartphone sales grew 10.8% in second quarter of 2021: Gartner

According to Gartner, worldwide smartphone sales to end users totaled 328.8m in the second quarter of 2021, up 10.8 per cent year over year. Despite supply restrictions caused by Covid-19 related production disruptions and component shortages, worldwide mobile phone sales increased by 10.2 per cent.

“Reinforced shelter-in-place instructions and factory shut-downs in India and Vietnam due to the second wave of Covid-19, along with closure of retail businesses and restrictions on online deliveries affected smartphone sales negatively in the second quarter after a strong start in beginning of 2021,” said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner. “However, regions with higher penetration of 5G connectivity saw strong demand for 5G smartphones and were growth drivers for leading smartphone vendors.”

Samsung expanded its 5G smartphone lineup at entry and midrange prices to target growth opportunities in 5G segments in the second quarter of 2021. The company maintained the number one position among the top five global smartphone vendors.

Xiaomi overtook Apple in global smartphone sales, marking second place for the first time. Xiaomi’s smartphone sales increased by 80.5 per cent. Apple’s revenues climbed 28.3 per cent year over year, while its market share increased 2.1 per cent. “While demand for iPhone 12 series smartphones remained strong in the key 5G driven markets, aggressive sales promotion for iPhone 11 series smartphones added to its growth in the price-sensitive segment,” said Gupta.

Other Chinese smartphone vendors, Oppo and Vivo increased 42.4 per cent and 41.6 per cent, respectively. Oppo’s development in Western Europe was aided by aggressively priced mid-tier smartphones. Vivo is expanding its market footprint outside of Asia/Pacific, with an emphasis on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).

“Demand for smartphones continued to be strong in this quarter as buyers preferred higher specifications and better user experience. The pent-up demand from 2020 continues to drive advantage for global smartphone vendors in 2021,” said Gupta.

Earlier this year, Apple had returned to the number one position in global smartphone shipments in Q4 of 2020, driven by the success of the iPhone 12 series. According to IDC, the Cupertino-based tech giant shipped 90.1 million devices in the quarter, edging out any of its Android rivals.

Read: Apple leads in global smartphone shipments in Q4 of 2020: IDC

Also read: Global government IT spending to grow 6.5% in 2022: Gartner