The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic caused global smartphone production to drop 11% year-on-year in 2020, reaching 1.25 billion units, according to figures from market research company
TrendForce. It says Samsung led the field with 263 million units, followed by Apple (199 million), Huawei (170 million), Xiaomi (146 million), OPPO (144 million), and Vivo (110 million).
However, Huawei's plans to turn its Honor brand into a separate business are likely to see it drop to 7th place in 2021.
TrendForce expects the global smartphone market to gradually recover this year, increasing by 9% to 1.36 billion units. The top six smartphone manufacturers for 2021 are expected to be Samsung, followed by Apple, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, and Transsion.
The penetration rate of 5G smartphones is likely to increase from 19% in 2020 (240 million units) to 37% (around 500 million units) in 2021. Apple led this sector with a 31% market share in 2020 - and is expected to increase this to 35% in the next 12 months.