The company says it’s now expecting smartphone sales to fall 11 percent to 1.26 billion units this year, which is a more positive outlook when compared to the previous prediction of a 15.6 percent decline.
The new estimates are based on the resilience of the American, European, and Indian markets which are already bouncing back.
Samsung’s smartphone sales expected to reach 2019 levels next year
Although Huawei is expected to lose 4.3 percent of its share to rivals, it is still expected to emerge as the third-largest vendor this year.
By the end of 2021, Samsung’s sales are expected to rise to 295 million units. This is roughly the number of phones it shipped last year. The sales are expected to get a boost not just from Huawei’s misfortunes, but also the popularity of foldable phones, 5G upgrades, and economic recovery.
Apple is expected to sell around 236 million units in 2021. In 2019, Samsung sold around 98 million more phones than Apple. By the end of 2021, the gap could reduce to 60 million units.
Strategy Analytics also believes that Apple and Samsung will cater to demand for flagship smartphones in China in the future, and domestic brands like Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi will be the brands of choice for entry-level and mid-tier phones.
