Global Smartphone Shipments To Fall 12% this Year on Virus Woes

Global smartphone shipments will fall nearly 12% to 1.2 billion units in 2020, market research firm IDC said on Wednesday, citing lower consumer spending due to the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis. From a report: The COVID-19 pandemic has not only disrupted business supply chains, with major smartphone makers such as Apple and Samsung Electronics flagging financial hits, but also squeezed consumer spending worldwide. "Nationwide lockdowns and rising unemployment have reduced consumer confidence and reprioritized spending towards essential goods, directly impacting the uptake of smartphones in the short term," said Sangeetika Srivastava, senior research analyst with IDC.

1.2 Billion in a single year?

[paralumina01]

And we wonder why we have problems in this world.

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[alvinrod]

That seems like a pretty reasonable number. Even if people are all on a 5-year upgrade cycle (which is stretching it for a lot of phones) then the global yearly sales come out to about the whole world's population buying one new phone every five years. Obviously not everyone in the world is using a cell phone, but a majority of the people in the world are. They've become so powerful and so inexpensive that people in countries who couldn't reasonably hope to afford a computer can get a smart phone. Having ac

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[paralumina01]

Then that means there are billions of phones that can be used by these poor people, for free excepting shipping costs mind you, that don't need to be a part of these manufacturing numbers anyways. This is all posturing and nothing but waste.

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[alvinrod]

The sales figures probably do count refurbished devices that companies buy back from people who upgrade more frequently and then sell to someone else.

The top of the line flagship phones are probably reaching a point where the hardware is good enough to last longer than five years, but most people aren't buying those devices. The bigger issue is the software support which definitely isn't to that point yet and the networks changing to newer standards every decade or so.

A quick Google search turned up t

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[paralumina01]

It only says "shipments", so I will have to accept your inference that the number includes refurbished devices. I still want to see how many total mobile phones have produced within the last 10 years though. Surely there's more than enough to fill each person's hands in the world doubly.

Re: 1.2 Billion in a single year?

[ChunderDownunder]

My 2017 mid-range phone is still running fine, albeit unpatched on Oreo.

Peak smartphone has been and gone. Given I don't game or shoot 4K vodcasts, why would I need to upgrade until 5G has had a full rollout in my area and actually matters? Perhaps Android 12 will finally actually solve the mainline kernel OEM updates issue that Google have been promising to deal with since Project Treble but I wouldn't hold my breath.

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[DontBeAMoran]

1.2 billion new smartphones per year is a problem, but ~7.8 billion people on the planet is worst.

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[paralumina01]

Are you saying that 7.8 billion people are going to waste?

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[Fly Swatter]

No, the OP said they were thee worst.

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[JackAxe]

You're part of that 7.8 billion. What are you going to do to remedy this situation? :)

I don't see this many people as a problem, I see this as a potential for more problem solving. I hope that sooner than later we as a society will be able to colonize other planets in our solar system. Then at that time, maybe 7.8 billion humans will be a drop in the bucket.

But then I factor in social media platforms like Twitter and even I become less optimistic.

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[backslashdot]

Well global population can't be such a big problem or you would have made it 7,799,999,999 for the rest of us, right?

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[DontBeAMoran]

I'm doing my part so it doesn't become 7,800,000,001 or more because of me.

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[backslashdot]

How is that a problem? You don't want people to make phone calls, speak to friends/family?

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[CorrectTheRecord]

Some percentage of those phones are going to corporate and government buyers (NYCPD switched from Windows phone to iPhone when the Winphones died off). They give the phones to employees with whatever apps are needed. They might be locked down to whatever IT infrastructure system the organization uses. The employee would probably keep their personal phones separate from business.

I've also seen the inside of an Uber/Door Dash/gig driver who had four or more phones mounted in a special holder. They appa

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[Randj Herdle]

Lately in Canada Rogers is launching a near-blitz of ads how Covid won't interfere with getting your new smartphone. Meanwhile, I'm trying to get a replacement battery for my Samsung II that isn't DOA.

Global smartphone shipments to fall?

[DontBeAMoran]

That's okay, they're pretty well packaged.

Bought a new phone in March.

[bobstreo]

My 7 year old phone was too old to trade in for any rebates, and I got a new cheap plan which didn't support the old phone anyway.

Got a new decent phone for $20 a month for 2 years. I'm saving almost 50% over my last plan with some odd GB a month, which I wasn't using since I'm on WIFI all the time. I turned off mobile data and haven't used any of it.

When people are on lockdown and socially distancing and you factor in not going out to movies, restaurants and bars on top of that, if they have any income, a

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[sound+vision]

$20x24 = $480

Decent phones with OLED screens and fingerprint readers are like $100-150 now. If you're having to get financing on a $480 purchase, you probably should have done more shopping.

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[bobstreo]

$20x24 = $480

Decent phones with OLED screens and fingerprint readers are like $100-150 now. If you're having to get financing on a $480 purchase, you probably should have done more shopping.

I don't like LG, Chinese knockoffs, or Samsungs. Got a pixel which is light years better than a 5.51 Samsung. I don't care about financing, it cost me $1 more to pay monthly. It was a matter of saving $30 a month on my mobile bill (including the payments for the phone)

I get the first updates and fixes on the pixel. as opposed to one and done from the last Samsung.

The over inflated prices?

[p51d007]

Might have something to do with it as well.

I still use old stuff.

[antdude]

I was still using an used 4S until 9/24/2019 or so, that was replaced by an used 6+. They both worked fine even though very old, used, and slow. At least, they get longer lives. :)

Not surprised

[scilover]

Covid 19 seems like affecting everybody! Not surprise that people stop shopping for phones now. Unless Apple and Samsung selling necessity things like TP!