DIGITIMES Research, by synthesizing supply chain information, regional market conditions, and analyzing global political and economic trends, forecasts that global smartphone shipments will reach 1,181.4 million units in 2024, marking a growth of 4.9%. Looking ahead over the next five years, there is an anticipated demand for feature phone users in regions such as India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa to upgrade to smartphones, while the ongoing deployment and expansion of 5G networks in these markets are expected to further drive their smartphone shipments. DIGITIMES Research estimates that the global annual shipment growth rate will range between 3% and 4%, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6%.
With the period of high inflation and US dollar appreciation having passed and purchasing power across different regions gradually recovering, it is projected that the global smartphone market will continue to ramp up in 2025, following the same trend in 2024, with an estimated growth rate of 3.6%. Shipments are expected to reach 1,223.9 million units, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest five-year forecast report on the global smartphone market.
Looking ahead to 2025, it is anticipated that there will be nine brands with smartphone shipments exceeding 30 million units, similar to 2024. The ranking, in order, will be Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo, Transsion, Vivo, Honor, Lenovo, and Huawei. These nine major brands are expected to collectively capture 92.7% of the global market share.
In the realm of 5G smartphones, DIGITIMES Research estimates that shipments in 2024 will reach 711.5 million units, representing a growth of 23.6% compared to 2023. It is projected that from 2025 to 2029, the annual increase in 5G smartphone shipments will be approximately 80 million to 140 million units.
With the integration of large language models (LLM) and generative AI capabilities into smartphones, coupled with the continuous advancements in these technologies, handset users will find it more convenient to operate the device and use applications through personal AI assistance or AI agent. These personal AI agents will span across various devices, completing user-assigned tasks through conversational communication.
DIGITIMES Research believes that over the next five years, the battleground for the development of the smartphone industry and its related ecosystem will be the integration of personal AI agent with various applications and services.
