According to the latest Canalys report, the global smartphone market managed a total of 1.35 billion smartphone shipments for 2021 which represents a 7% growth compared to 2020 and is close to the prepandemic level of 1.37 billion observed for 2019. The topfive vendor list remained unchanged with Samsung once again leading the way with its 274.5 million shipments and 20% market share.Apple came in second with an equally impressive 230 million shipments and 17% market share while Xiaomi rounds out the topthree with its 191 million shipments and 14% share of the market and also boasted the highest yearly growth of all brands at 28%.
Going further down the list we find Oppo (including OnePlus) with 145 million shipments and 11% of the market while vivo rounds out the topfive with its 129.9 million shipments and 10% market share. Despite persistent supply shortages, consumer demand for new smartphones continued to rise in 2021.
The main drivers of growth were the budget sector in Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Demand for high-end Samsung and Apple devices was also strong, with Samsung hitting its 8 million foldable device sales target and Apple posting the strongest fourth quarter of all brands with shipments of 82.7 million units. Canalys analysts predict that 2022 will be another strong year for smartphone sales.
