There are more signs of the global smartphone market righting the ship after a disastrous 2020. New figures from Gartner point to 26% increase in global sales year over year for the first quarter of 2021. The overall increase is an impressive one, though it comes after a couple of years of market slowdown, followed by a step drop amid the pandemic.
Manufacturers got hit from all sides last year. 2020 kicked things off with a manufacturing slowdown, as China and greater Asia were the first to be impacted by the effects of COVID-19. In the following months, global demand slowed, as shutdowns were instated and job loss and economic issues massively hampered sales.
Image Credits: Gartner
The new Gartner numbers maintain the same global top three manufacturers as this time last year. Samsung’s overall market share grew from 18.4% to 20.3%, courtesy of budget devices, returning to the No. 1 spot.
Apple had managed to push its way to No. 1 in Q4, on the strength of its belated 5G push. The company dropped down to No. 2 for the first quarter — the same position it held this time last year. Overall, its market share is up around 2% y-o-y to 15.5%, according to the figures. The top five are rounded out by three Chinese manufacturers — Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo — as Huawei’s struggles continue.
Thus far, global chip shortages appear to have had little impact on shipments.