According to research done by ABI Research, over 1.25 billion smartphones are expected to ship in 2014. Additionally, the company forecasts smartphone shipments to pass the 2 billion mark in 2018. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the forecast period from 2014 to 2019 is 12%.
Nick Spencer, senior practice director, ABI Research stated that: “While smartphone growth is beginning to fall, plenty of growth remains, with smartphone penetration of mobile subscribers under 30% worldwide. Most advanced and affluent markets already have 60%+ penetration, so the growth is driven by developing markets and the reduction in smartphone ASPs.”
Smartphones will consolidate their lead as the largest computing category, more than doubling that of its nearest rival in 2017. Growth is being driven by Chinese and Indian smartphone manufacturers, creating low-cost Android or AOSP devices for markets in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
