Total smartphone shipments for 2015 are projected to decline by 9.7% to 1.286 billion units, according to the latest report from global market research firm TrendForce. Though Chinese vendors have seen their shipments weakened as part of the ongoing slowdown in the worldwide smartphone market this year, their performances are above the global average. The combined shipments (including exports) from Chinese brands are estimated to grow 14.5% annually this year, accounting for 41% of the global smartphone shipments.
“Double-digit shipment growth is a thing of the past for vendors as the global market has begun to plateau in 2015 after years of growth” said TrendForce smartphone analyst Avril Wu. “While Samsung has kept its shipment title through the year, it is struggling against Apple in the high-end market and being pushed out of the mid-range and low-end segments by Chinese competitors. Facing challenges on two fronts, Samsung’s smartphone business will operate in an increasingly difficult situation in the near future. Closely trailing Samsung in global shipments is Apple, which remains as the dominant and most profitable vendor in the high-end market. As for Chinese brands, they are expanding overseas to gain market share. Huawei’s shipments surpassed 100 million units this year and became the third leading vendor on account of its export efforts. Xiaomi and Lenovo are also branching into the emerging markets.”
Looking ahead to 2016, TrendForce expects the smartphone market to remain saturated. Annual shipments are estimated to grow 7.3% to about 1.4 billion units. Major development trends are as follows:
Shipments from Chinese brands will stay above the global average as Lenovo and Xiaomi scramble for India
Huawei’s smartphone shipments skyrocketed over 40% in annual growth to above 100 million units in 2015. Compared with other Chinese brands, Huawei’s supply chain is the most complete in terms of vertical integration. The vendor also has the support of its subsidiary IC design company HiSilicon in the development of its high-end smartphones. Taken together, the shipment growth of Chinese brands will exceed the global average next year, Wu pointed out. However, the performance of each vendor will be dependent on its overseas sales. If Chinese vendors only achieve limited progress in their target foreign markets, they will have to fall back to the domestic market, where the raging price war will shrink their margins further – even to the point of selling at a loss.
India is the emerging market that all smartphone vendors have set their sight on. Besides an increasing presence of Chinese brands (e.g. Lenovo and Xiaomi), a number of domestic brands such as Micromax are also rising rapidly. The Indian market has a huge room for growth since only 20% of the country’s 1.3 billion inhabitants own a smartphone, noted Wu. Smartphone shipments in India are projected to maintain an annual growth rate of at least 30% in the next few years. Furthermore, Chinese vendors will continue their strategy of selling high-end smartphones at low prices as affordability is the main consideration of Indian consumers.
The scope of hardware innovations is limited for Samsung whereas Apple plans to introduce waterproof iPhones
Apple will release the upgraded 4-inch iPhone C series in the second quarter of 2016. The next iPhone (currently dubbed “iPhone 7”) will be introduced in the second half of next year. The major selling points of the next iPhone will be the 3GB memory upgrade for the 5.5-inch model and waterproof feature. Based on TrendForce’s estimation, about 260 million iPhones will be shipped in 2016, representing an annual growth of 12.5% and a market share of 18.5%. With the smartphone market becoming less profitable, iPhone will still have the highest margin next year compared with products from rival vendors.
As for the current market leader Samsung, Wu believes that the vendor will still have the largest market share worldwide in 2016. However, Samsung’s shipments are anticipated to drop 4% annually to 310 million due to Chinese competitors undercutting its prices. Apple is anticipated to significantly narrow its market share gap with Samsung next year as well. TrendForce analysis indicates that Samsung will hold 22% of the global smartphone market in 2016, a decline from 2015. Wu added that Samsung’s flagship devices for this year have hit the ceiling in specs, so the South Korean powerhouse will be straining to bring hardware innovations to its next smartphone release.
Hardware advances will be mainly related to processor manufacturing technology, mobile memory and displays
Processors made on 14/16nm manufacturing processes will be the first choice for smartphone vendors when it comes to building their next year’s high-end products. The advantage of advanced processes is the ability to make chips that use less power and are less susceptible to overheating. Since much of the 14/16nm capacity next will be used to supply chips for high-end smartphones, the production of components for low-end and mid-range devices will concentrate on the 28nm process.
As the next-generation mobile memory, LPDDR4 accounts for a growing share of the overall mobile DRAM production. Since DRAM manufacturing will be mainly on the 20nm process next year, the share of 8Gb/6Gb mono die in the mobile DRAM production will also increase, significantly raising the memory density of each smartphone unit. Most mid-range devices for next year will have 3GB of memory while high-end devices will be equipped with 4GB/6GB of memory.
In terms of display specs, FHD will prevail over HD as the mainstream display technology for smartphones next year. Vendors will even use QHD display to separate their top-of-the-line devices from products of the lower segments. More models will also feature narrow bezel and curved screen.
Source: TrendForce
MacDailyNews Take: The cream rises.
Market share is nice, but profit share is far, far better.
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s iPhone: The most absurd dominance ever and it’s getting even more absurd – November 19, 2015
Apple’s iPhone can soon reap 100 percent of world’s smartphone profits – November 17, 2015
Apple’s iPhone owns 94% of smartphone industry’s profits – November 16, 2015
Apple iPhone owns over 90% of smartphone profits, so why do others even bother fighting over Apple’s scraps? – October 8, 2015
Beleaguered Samsung’s future depends more on components than on copying Apple – October 7, 2015
Beleaguered Samsung finding it tough to compete Apple’s revolutionary iPhone – October 6, 2015
Apple’s iPhone juggernaut continues with record-breaking sales while Android peddlers fight over scraps – September 28, 2015
Apple’s iPhone owns 92% of smartphone industry’s profits – July 13, 2015
Poor man’s iPhone: Android on the decline – February 26, 2015
Study: iPhone users are smarter and richer than those who settle for Android phones – January 22, 2015
Why Android users can’t have the nicest things – January 5, 2015
iPhone users earn significantly more than those who settle for Android phones – October 8, 2014
Yet more proof that Android is for poor people – June 27, 2014
More proof that Android is for poor people – May 13, 2014
Android users poorer, shorter, unhealthier, less educated, far less charitable than Apple iPhone users – November 13, 2013
IDC data shows two thirds of Android’s 81% smartphone share are cheap junk phones – November 13, 2013
CIRP: Apple iPhone users are younger, richer, and better educated than those who settle for Samsung knockoff phones – August 19, 2013
It’s hard to see any way that Samsung can maintain it’s current position. It comes as no surprise to most if us that the competition from Apple at the high end is formidable, while the competition at the low end makes it impossible to make a decent return on their investment.
Samsung are already being even more coy than usual with regard to their smartphone sales numbers. I think that the true position for Samsung is even worse than most analysts believe and Samsung’s prospects for future smartphone profits are poor.
I forgot to mention that 5,000 jobs have gone in the last year, with about half of them going from Samsung’s display and electronics divisions. There is also reported to be a 30% reduction in executive positions next month.
YEAH
Apple just don’t sit back on the camera, samsung has been displaying new tech that appears to blow Apple on quality, please use the tech you buy.
lost
What is this about waterproofing? I have not read about rumor yet. And a new 5c? When has Apple used the same name twice. The c would indicate that the next 5 will be plastic. There was talk this week about a 5s mark II, I think that name is BS. Introducing a 5c in the second quarter and a 7 in the second half. When has Apple had two release dates of phones in a year? Never. Waterproofing would be great and I would not mind a plastic 5? If they keep the size with upgraded specs. But to write any of this with certainty is BS. I can see a new deep water ( something more than a swimming pool) phone if they came out with a deep water Apple Watch, however I doubt both. I think this is an early start on making shit up about what Apple will do next than slamming Apple for not doing what they never said they do. Like the Apple HDTV.
I love the part about the new processors and never talk about 64bit. I know Android can do it now. No one will talk about the code issues because they can’t use Java for new 64bit apps so rewarding is a problem. Yes it can be done, but not as easy as iOS. Of course there are tech writers who say Macs don’t have a right click and get away with it.