5G Mobile Phones’ Market Share Will Grow Rapidly, From 12% in 2020 to 43% in 2022
Worldwide shipments of devices — PCs, tablets and mobile phones — will total 2.16 billion units in 2020, an increase of 0.9% from 2019, according to Gartner, Inc. In 2019, global shipments of devices totaled 2.15 billion units.
“2020 will witness a slight market recovery,” said Ranjit Atwal, research senior director at Gartner. “Increased availability of 5G handsets will boost mobile phone replacements, which will lead global device shipments to return to growth in 2020.”
The worldwide mobile phone market is on course to grow by 1.7% in 2020 (see Table 1). Shipments of smartphones were weak in 2019, recording a 2% decline year over year, but are expected to grow in 2020, particularly in Greater China and emerging markets in Asia/Pacific.
Gartner estimates that 5G models will account for 12% of mobile phone shipments in 2020, and that will reach 43% by 2022. “From 2020, Gartner expects an increase in 5G phone adoption as prices decrease, 5G service coverage increases and users have better experiences with 5G phones. The market will experience a further increase in 2023, when 5G handsets will account for over 50% of the mobile phones shipped,” said Mr. Atwal.
Table 1
Worldwide Device Shipments by Device Type, 2020-2022 (Millions of Units)
| Device Type | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Traditional PCs (Desk-Based and Notebook) | 178,279 | 169,891 | 161,672 |
| Ultramobiles (Premium) | 72,529 | 76,789 | 80,036 |
| Total PC Market | 250,807 | 246,680 | 241,708 |
| Ultramobiles (Basic and Utility) | 138,712 | 134,255 | 132,465 |
| Computing Device Market | 389,519 | 380,935 | 374,173 |
| Mobile Phones | 1, 776,779 | 1, 771,242 | 1, 756,936 |
| Total Device Market | 2, 166,298 | 2, 152,177 | 2, 131,109 |
Due to rounding, some figures may not add up precisely to the totals shown.
Source: Gartner (January 2020)
Global PC Market to Decline in 2020 and Beyond
Even after experiencing a return to growth in 2019, PC shipments are still forecast to decline in 2020 and beyond. Through 2020, this market will be affected by the end of the migration to Windows 10.
After three years of growth in the professional PC market, replacement levels will decrease. However, there will be opportunities for professional PC replacements through 2020. The Chinese government launched the locally manufactured “secure and reliable PC” initiative, which stalled in 2019, but such initiatives should gain momentum in 2020.
In addition, there is a “long tail” of upgrades from small and midsize businesses across emerging regions as they react to Microsoft’s withdrawal of support for Windows 7 on 14 January 2020. Gartner estimates that one billion PCs will have migrated to Windows 10 through 2020 — around 80% of all PCs in use.
“The PC market’s future is unpredictable because there will not be a Windows 11. Instead, Windows 10 will be upgraded systematically through regular updates,” said Mr. Atwal “As a result, peaks in PC hardware upgrade cycles driven by an entire Windows OS upgrade will end.”
Gartner clients can read more in “Forecast: PCs, Ultramobiles and Mobile Phones, Worldwide, 2017-2023, 4Q19 Update.”
About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world’s leading research and advisory company and a member of the S&P 500. We equip business leaders with indispensable insights, advice and tools to achieve their mission-critical priorities and build the successful organizations of tomorrow.
Our unmatched combination of expert-led, practitioner-sourced and data-driven research steers clients toward the right decisions on the issues that matter most. We are a trusted advisor and objective resource for more than 15,000 organizations in more than 100 countries — across all major functions, in every industry and organization size.
To learn more about how we help decision makers fuel the future of business, visit www.gartner.com.
Disclaimer: The story is in the form of a Press Release and has not been edited or reviewed for language or content. The content is published in the form that it was received by the editors after removing certain personal information such as contact numbers and emails. CXOToday.com is not responsible for the veracity of this content
