Global smartphone shipments grew 4 percent in 2021, the first increase in four years

On January 28, market research firm Counterpart Research reported that global smartphone shipments grew for the first time in four years last year, but were still below pre-pandemic levels.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and global chip shortages hampering supply, smartphone shipments in 2021 rose 4% year-over-year to 1.39 billion units.

In addition, the report data shows that smartphone shipments in 2017 were 1.56 billion units, followed by a year-on-year decline from 2018 to 2020.

Harmet Singh Walia, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, said the release of suppressed consumer demand in places like North America, Latin America and India contributed to the growth in total shipments last year.

Walia noted that the growth in the U.S. market was driven primarily by demand for Apple's first 5G-enabled iPhone 12 series. Demand was particularly strong in the fourth quarter due to holiday and Black Friday promotions,

The Counterpoint Research report further notes that the market recovery could have been better if there had been no impact of component shortages in the second half of 2021. The world's major mobile phone manufacturers are relatively better able to cope with the shortage of components, so they have gained more market share.

What are the shipments of the world's leading mobile phone manufacturers?

Although Samsung's Vietnam factory has been locked down for some time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Samsung has maintained its position as the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer in terms of shipments.

Samsung shipped about 271 million units in 2021, up 6% year-on-year, and the demand for mid-range mobile phones increased relatively.

Samsung said this week it expected demand for smartphones and tablets to decline this quarter due to seasonal weakness and uncertainty over parts supply. But the company says it plans to expand sales of its flagship Galaxy S series and launch competitive 5G phones for the mass market.

The Counterpoint report notes that Samsung's growth has been constrained by increased competition in the likes of India and Latin America.

Apple followed, with global mobile phone shipments ranking second, reaching 237.9 million units, up 18% year-on-year. Thanks to the impressive performance of the iPhone 12 series, Apple's market share in China hit a record high last quarter, and shipments also increased in key markets such as the United States, Europe and India.

Counterpoint said in the report that in China, apple surpassed Samsung in the fourth quarter of 2021 due to the iPhone 13 series, becoming the smartphone brand with the largest shipments in the world.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi's global shipments rose 31 percent year-over-year to 190 million units, behind Samsung and Apple. Xiaomi shipments have grown rapidly in recent years, becoming the world's third-largest smartphone manufacturer. Especially in the Indian market, Xiaomi is now the largest smartphone brand.

Oppo and Vivo also saw double-digit growth last year, with shipments of 143.2 million units and 131.3 million units, respectively.

Counterpoint Research said in the report that if the global epidemic is contained and supply chain shortages are resolved in the middle of this year, then the growth prospects of the smartphone industry in 2022 are more optimistic. However, some analysts and investors expect the global chip shortage to continue until the end of this year or 2023.