A total 983m smartphones will be sold in 2013, according to CCS Insight, accounting for 53 per cent of the total mobile phone market. Smartphone shipments exceeded feature phones for the first time ever in the first three months of 2013.

In 2012, fewer than 25 per cent of the mobile phones in use were smartphones, says CCS, but by 2017 they will account for two-thirds of the total 6.6bn mobile phones in use globally. In Western Europe and North America specfically, penetration levels are already higher than 50 per cent, but CCS predicts this figure will exceed 80 per cent by 2015. 

Sales of 4G devices, meanwhile, will grow tenfold between 2012 and 2017, hitting 650m units – almost half of which will be shipped to emerging markets.

But how will the smartphone market of the future look in terms of devices and platforms? According to Marina Koytcheva, director of forecasting at CCS Insight, potentially quite different.

“Having defined the modern smartphone era, Apple is struggling to keep up with overall smartphone market growth, particularly as that growth shifts toward emerging markets,” said Koytcheva. “Apple will have to choose between sustaining its profit margin and holding onto market share.”

“Android, on the other hand, is highly dependent on Samsung. As profit margins are squeezed Google will need to ensure Android remains a viable choice for other phone-makers. Microsoft desperately needs to make an impact in smartphones as the PC market shows no sign of leaving the doldrums. Similarly, BlackBerry seems determined to remain a relevant competitor. 

“And lets not forget new upstarts like Tizen, Firefox OS, Sailfish OS, Baidu Yi and Aliyun, which are all hustling to grab a share of this lucrative market.”