Smartphone Shipments Overtaking Feature Phones Globally
- Sunday, May 19th, 2013
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2013 will see shipments of smartphones surpass feature phones for the first time globally, according to a report from NPD DisplaySearch. 937m smartphones are projected to be shipped this year, compared to 889m feature phones.
Smartphone shipments will grow at a CAGR of 26 per cent between 2011 and 2016, eventually reaching 1.5bn, two-thirds of the total mobile phone market.
”The global smartphone market is expected to continue growing rapidly over the next two years,” said Shawn Lee, research director at NPD DisplaySearch. “With larger, higher-resolution displays, faster processors, and higher-capacity cellular systems being built, the smartphone is not only becoming a must-have device, but is satisfying many needs that formerly required other computing and consumer electronics devices.” 
China is the worlds largest market for smartphones, and the Asia-Pacific region will account for over 50 per cent of smartphone shipments in 2013.
