Analytical firm IDC now expects global smartphone shipments to grow just 3.1% this year to 1.483 billion units, lower than an earlier forecast that called for 5.7% growth. Shipments rose 10.5% last year, and 27.8% the year before that. The total number of handsets that will be delivered should reach 1.48 billion this year, hitting 1.84 billion by 2020 for a compounded growth rate of 5%.
IDC predicts that Android smartphones will continue to dominate this year due to lower prices. Shipments of the iPhone will drop 2% in 2016, according to IDC. But the decline could be a short lived one as the company’s early trade-in program, and the new 4-inch Apple iPhone SE help turn things around for Apple.
