Report claims these will be the 5 biggest smartphone brands in 2021 – Times of India

The next year may not be so good for smartphone major Huawei. Despite the trade ban by the US, the Chinese company has managed to stay on top in the global smartphone market so far in 2020. However, this may change next year as per a report by Digitimes Research. The report sees Huawei plunging to No. 7 in the global smartphone market. “Huawei, hit by US trade sanctions, is expected to retreat to seventh place,” says the report.
As for the brands who will be in the top 5, as per Digitimes, are: Samsung, Apple, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi (in the same order). “Samsung Electronics and Apple will be able to secure the top-two positions in 2021, followed by Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi. China-based Transsion, which markets entry-level handsets under Tecno, Itel and Infinix brands in Africa and South Asia, will be sixth,” says the report.
Huawei is said to have bravely battled sanctions this year due to the components stocks it reportedly had this year.
Overall, the report has good news for smartphone companies. It predicts next year to be good for the global smartphone market, following three consecutive years of decline (from 2018 to 2020). It forecasts the global smartphone shipments to grow by a double-digit rate or by 150 million units in 2021.
The report sees 5G technology playing a key role in bringing growth back to the market. “The availability entry-level 5G or 4G devices in emerging markets will also drive global smartphone shipments, which are expected to reach over 1.5 billion units in 2023 and 1.7 billion units in 2025, respectively, Digitimes Research estimates,” says the report. “Looking into the next five years, replacement demand for 5G phones will gather momentum thanks to the growing number of commercial 5G networks and expanding coverage,” it adds.
Digitimes Research also expects global shipments of 5G phones to reach over 200 million units in 2020 and to expand to over 1.22 billion units in 2025.