After a lackluster 2020 for the smartphone market due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is finally recording positive growth with 1.39 billion devices sold in 2021.
In 2020, smartphone production fell by 11% due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the market grew by 7% with 1.35 billion smartphones shipped compared to 1.26 billion in 2020. However, despite positive growth, annual sales are still below pre-pandemic levels due to global component shortages.
Indeed, in 2019, smartphone manufacturers had managed to sell a total of 1.37 billion devices across the world. It should also be noted that this is the first time the smartphone market has experienced annual growth since 2017, according to data collected by Counterpoint. The market was particularly boosted by good sales in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. We are however still far from the sales record of 1.55 billion devices in 2017.
Samsung leads in 2021, followed by Apple and Xiaomi
Samsung retains the top spot smartphone shipments in 2021, holding 20% market share worldwide with 274.5 million phones sold during the year. Apple comes second, with 230.1 million phones and Xiaomi comes third with 191.2 million units shipped. Oppo comes in fourth place with 145.1 million smartphones sold, followed by Vivo with 129.9 million.
Although Samsung sold 7% more smartphones compared to the previous year, its market share of 20% has not changed. For its part, Apple lost 1% compared to 2020 despite excellent sales for its iPhone 13 during the holidays. This is due in particular to the excellent results of Chinese manufacturers, Xiaomi and Oppo having for example gained 2% market share in 2021. In 2022, Xiaomi’s growth could take off again, in particular thanks to its Xiaomi 12 which has already been a hit in China, or its new Redmi Note 11 which offers exceptional value for money.
Source: Canalys
