IDC Sees Global Smartphone Shipments Approaching 2 Billion in 2019

Smartphone shipments globally will increase at an 8.5 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2019, “dwarfing” that of other “smart connected device” (SCD) shipments like tablets (including 2-in-1s), laptops and desktop PCs, IDC said Friday in its device tracker. IDC sees smartphone shipments climbing to 1.96 billion units in 2019, from 1.3 billion in 2014. Tablets and 2-in-1s will have a CAGR of 3.2 percent through 2019, though laptops will decline 0.4 percent and desktops 2 percent, it said. “As recently as 2010, PCs still made up the lion's share of the total SCD device market,” with desktops and notebooks combined accounting for 52.5 percent of shipments versus 44.7 percent for smartphones and 2.8 percent for tablets, IDC said. By 2014, smartphones had grown to 73.4 percent of total shipments, while PCs had slipped to 16.8 percent and tablets had increased to 12.5 percent, it said. By 2019, IDC expects the distribution to be 77.8 percent smartphones, 11.6 percent PCs, and 10.7 percent tablets, it said. Though smartphone growth continues “at an astounding pace,” not all smartphone growth “will be equal,” IDC said. In the years to come, smartphones’ viability will rest on emerging markets, sub-$100 price points, and phablets, it said. Last year, 73 percent of smartphones were shipped to emerging markets, 21 percent were priced below $100, and 12 percent had screen sizes between 5.5 and 7 inches, it said. By 2019, IDC sees four in every five smartphones being shipped to emerging markets, while 35 percent will be priced below $100, and 32 percent will have 5.5-7-inch screen sizes, it said. “So far the market has very much focused on premium models and brands, but emerging market consumers are looking for greater value from a single device."