Market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) raised its forecast for this year’s smartphone shipments on Tuesday. In the latest report, the firm has predicted a positive outlook for the worldwide smartphone market in 2024. The new report also highlights a significant difference in growth rates between Android phones and iPhone shipments this year. All in all, 2024 could be a good year for the global smartphone market with nearly six percent growth.
Android phone shipments will grow by over 7%, which is 9 times the iPhone’s sales forecast
According to IDC, global smartphone shipments are expected to grow 5.8% year-on-year in 2024. The firm predicts nearly 1.23 billion smartphone units will be shipped this year. It will be slightly higher than the firm’s previous year’s forecast of 4% growth to 1.21 billion units. The increase will be driven by many factors, including the adoption of GenAI phones and ongoing competition within the Android market.
The firm believes that Android phone shipments this year will grow by more than 7%, which is 9 times the iPhone’s sales forecast. The shipment growth is expected to be driven mainly by sales of Android phones in China and emerging markets. However, IDC expects the iPhone to regain momentum in 2025 with 4% year-on-year growth thanks to Apple Intelligence-powered features.
GenAI smartphones will account for nearly 18% of smartphone shipments this year
Another key trend highlighted in the latest IDC report is the rise of generative AI-powered feature-equipped smartphones. These GenAI devices are expected to capture a significant portion of the global smartphone market this year. The research firm believes that GenAI phones will account for nearly 18% of total phone shipments by the end of 2024. These will attract a robust 344% growth in their initial year of existence.
Notably, the research firm’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone tracker recorded a massive growth of 12% in Q1 this year. Furthermore, there was a nine percent increase in shipments year-on-year in Q2 2024 which ended in June. The high sales in both quarters have brought improved optimism about how 2024 will play out in the second half of the year.
