eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
1Why Phablet-Sized Smartphones Will Dominate the Handset Market
A new study from IDC reveals the formula for success in the smartphone market produce big-screen handsets. An IDC research report was released on Nov. 29 shows that Android handset makers that build smartphones with large screens popularly known as “phablets” are most likely to be successful. However, companies that have turned their backs on phablets, which IDC defines and devices with screen measuring 5.5 inches or larger or are trying to sell handsets that run mobile operating systems other than Android or iOS will have a hard time surviving in the market. This slide show will dissect IDC’s data to highlight the current state of the smartphone market and how it will change over the next several years.
2Smartphone Market Is Huge
3Hand Set Sales Will Keep Growing
4Phablet Sales Will Grow the Most
Phablets, or big-screen smartphones, will be the driving force in handset sales growth over the next several years. IDC found that big-screen smartphone shipments will grow from 611 million units in 2017 to more than 1 billion in 2021. Meanwhile, shipments of smaller smartphones with screen sizes less than 5.5 inches will decline by 7.4 by 2021.
5Android Dominance Is Apparent
6Android’s Dominance Will Persist
7Apple’s iPhone Holds Down Second Place
8Apple Handset Shipments Will Grow Steadily
9All Other Mobile OS Platforms Are Dying Out
Based on the IDC data, smartphones that run operating systems besides Android or iOS, such as BlackBerry or Windows Mobile are endangered species. By the end of the year handset makers will ship only 2.2 million smartphones that run a mobile OS other than Android or iOS. This will represent a nearly invisible 0.1 percent market share. Shipments will be down 78.8 percent compared to 2016.
10Minor Mobile Operating Systems Will Keep Fading Away
11Smartphones Will Get Pricier
Phablet-sized handsets will not only get more popular, IDC expects them to become more expensive. The company found that the average smartphone selling price in 2016 was $282. By 2021, that figure will jump to $317, representing a compound annual growth rate of 2.3 percent.