The bean counters at analytical firm Counterpoint Research have looked at the numbers, examined the trends, and have come to the conclusion that the total number of smartphone units shipped globally in 2022 will reach 1.36 billion units this year. That would represent a 3% decline from the number of smartphones that were delivered last year.
Counterpoint forecasts smartphone shipments to decline by 3% this year.
Counterpoint Research Vice President Pete Richardson said that the long-term migration by consumers from feature phones to smartphones continues while at the same time the public is still in the early stages of the 3G/4G to 5G transformation. Low-priced and mid-priced 5G handsets are expected to help drive overall global demand for smartphones. With carriers promoting 5G plans and handsets, many consumers are buying their first 5G phones even if they are usually connecting with low-band 5G signals that aren’t delivering download data speeds much faster than those found on 4G LTE networks.
Perhaps a wee bit optimistic for the second half of the year is Counterpoint Network’s Senior analyst Liz Lee. She says “However, the outlook for a smartphone market recovery in the second half still stands. At the end of May, the Chinese government convened a meeting for large-scale economic stability countermeasures. The government is expected to implement more aggressive policies to stimulate the economy in the second half. Besides, we believe that new foldable smartphone launches, led by Samsung, will be able to stimulate demand in the premium segment.”
