Although the smartphone market recorded a decline in 2018, analysts believe that the situation will improve in the new year thanks to the dynamic addition of 5G to devices.
Specifically, in 2018 there was a 3% decrease, falling to 1.42 billion units.
A large share of the responsibility for the decline is attributed to China, which recorded a decrease of 8.8% for 2018. It is believed that China will recover in 2022, unlike the American market, which will experience growth in 2019.
"We hope that large global companies that focus on high-end products will be able to attract consumers who want to upgrade their devices with new high-quality ones," says Sangeetika Srivastava, research analyst at IDC Worldwide Mobile Device Tracker.
IDC noted that while 2018 did not meet expectations, the global smartphone market is not letting up, shifting towards larger screens and higher-end devices. In the third quarter of 2018, the 6-inch to 7-inch screen size shift was a successful shift that resonated with consumers.
Smartphones with screens 5.5 inches and larger accounted for 66.7% of all devices sold in 2018 and will increase to 87.7% by 2022.
Melissa Chau, research director for IDC Worldwide Mobile Device Tracker, said: “What we consider a full-size smartphone has changed dramatically in just a few years, with the next big transition to flexible displays still in the works.”
