Global smartphone shipments are expected to grow nearly 50 percent this year to 340 million units in Q1 2021, according to Digitimes Research.
The report says the upsurge will be driven by robust sales of Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone Pro Max, along with a ramp-up in shipments by Chinese brands to grab the market share relinquished by Huawei.
Apple’s iPhone shipments are expected to total more than 60 million units in Q1, after shipments reach more than 90 million units in the previous quarter.
The US company is expected to be the top vendor for the next six months with total shipments of more 150 million units, up 38 percent from the same period of a year earlier.
Samsung will rank second with its shipments declining to around 60-65 million units, according to Digitimes.
Once a minnow in the market, Xiaomi will hold third place, with shipments totalling 90 million units in the six months, up more than 80 percent from a year earlier.
Huawei, once known as a major smartphone maker, is tipped to ship fewer than 20 million smartphones, dropping to sixth spot in Q1.
