Smartphone sales are set for a 3.2 per cent fall this year in what is the worst decline for the category according to statistics from Gartner.
Gartner estimates that there are over five billion smartphones currently in use globally.
Gartner research director Ranjit Atwal said: “The current mobile phone market of 1.7 billion shipments is around 10 per cent below the 1.9 billion shipments reached in 2015.”
“If mobile phones don’t provide significant new utility, efficiency or experiences, users won’t upgrade them, and will consequently increase these devices’ life spans.”
Gartner also predicted that 5G phones will represent over half of phone sales in 2023. Earlier this year, Mobile operators EE and Vodafone launched 5G services in the UK although according to the research company, 2023 is when we will see a considerable increase in 5G services.
“In 2020, 5G-capable phones will represent 6 per cent of total sales of phones. As 5G service coverage increases, user experience will improve and prices will decrease. The leap will occur in 2023 when we expect 5G phones to account for 51 per cent of phone sales,” said Mr Atwal.