5G has created strong demand for iPhones, allowing Apple’s iPhone 13 series to propel the entire product line to become the No. 1 global smartphone seller by the end of 2021, research firm Gartner said.
In the first half of 2021, smartphone sales began to recover after a decline in 2020 due to the coronavirus. However, the second half of the year is when supply shortages start to affect sales.
The improved consumer outlook and pent-up demand in large markets such as India and China in 2020 helped drive sales in the first half of the year,” Gartner’s Anshul Gupta said in a statement.
However, this trend occurred in the second half of the year. reversal, even though consumer demand is high. [Hence] stock-outs and limited inventories of popular models push some possible sales into 2022,” the senior research executive continued.
For the fourth quarter of 2021, Apple retained the No. 1 position, which was a 3.8% increase over the same period in 2020. Gartner attributes this to the strong demand for 5G.
Samsung came in second in the quarter but did just as well, up 11% since the fourth quarter of 2020. Throughout 2021, Samsung sold the largest number of smartphones, around 272 million, while Apple sold around 239 million.
Overall, the smartphone market will grow 6% in 2021, Gartner said. Apple doesn’t release specific iPhone sales figures, so like others like Counterpoint, Gartner’s estimates are based on its own market research. As a result, sales figures for Apple devices vary from company to company.