Omdia: Smartphone production in 2021 will exceed 1.3 billion units, a year-on-year increase of 3.4%

Omdia revealed in its latest market analysis that smartphone shipments increased year-on-year in 2021. Despite a 6.7% drop in sales in the fourth quarter, manufacturers produced more than 1.3 billion units, 3.4% more than in 2020. Samsung still ranks first, ahead of Apple and Xiaomi. Huawei, which once ranked third in sales in 2020, has now slipped to 9th place overall, behind its former subsidiary Honor after a sharp drop of 81%.

The biggest winner in this year of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was Realme, which increased its sales by 48.6%, more than any other major phone maker.

Omdia revealed that LG's decision to exit the smartphone market helped Motorola, with the Lenovo-owned brand seeing shipment growth as it expanded its presence in North America and Latin America.

Transsion Holdings was another brand that performed well over the past 12 months, as it successfully sold its devices at competitive prices in developing regions, increasing its overall performance by 31.7%.

The year may have been positive overall for the smartphone industry, but the last three months weren't as stellar as the holiday season of 2020. Omdia's report shows that Xiaomi, vivo, and OPPO all saw declines in shipments, while Samsung, Apple, and Realme bucked the trend and saw increases in numbers.

Zaker Li, chief analyst at Omdia, said the main reason was the lack of component supply as it affected the production of low-end smartphones. The expectation for the new year is that uncertainties will continue and supply chain issues will continue to disrupt manufacturers.

From cnbeta