According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, the global smartphone shipments will rebound 7 percent  from 1.3 billion units in 2020 to 1.4 billion units in 2021. The growth is driven mostly by the improved economic situation as the COVID-19 pandemic weakens, a growing stock of aging smartphones and the operator/vendor push for migration to5G.

We forecast total global smartphone shipments to grow 7 percent from 1.3 billion units in 2020 to 1.4 billion in 2021. After the global smartphone market plunged 8 percent in 2020, due to corona-virus, this year will see a rapid rebound to growth in 2021, driven by virus vaccines and a flood of new 5G handset models on sale in retail stores.

We forecast Samsung to remain the world’s number one smartphone vendor with 20 percent market share in 2021, followed by Apple iPhone in second place with 16 percent share. We forecast Xiaomi to solidify its position as the world’s number three smartphone vendor, growing its global market share from 11 percent in 2020 to a record 13 percent in 2021. Xiaomi is already strong in India and Russia, and the company is rapidly expanding its smartphone footprint across big European markets such as Spain, Italy, and the UK.

Xiaomi is just one brand in a Chinese wave sweeping the global smartphone market. Trade tensions aside, Vivo, OPPO, Transsion, Realme, OnePlus and others will launch dozens of new 5G smartphone models worldwide in 2021. We think several Chinese vendors, like OPPO, now have their eyes set on the premium 5G smartphone category, a segment currently dominated by Apple iPhone and Samsung.

The report also notes that in Africa & Middle East, Transsion will pass Samsung as the largest vendor with Samsung falling to second place. Xiaomi will surge into third place ahead of Apple.  In the Western European markets, Xiaomi will solidify its grip on third place after Apple and Samsung.

Global Smartphone Shipments Marketshare Forecast by Top-5 Vendors for Full-Year 2021