According to the analysis of Digitimes Research, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro model will make an essential contribution to the 50% year-on-year growth of international smartphone shipments in the first quarter of this year. The shipment speed of iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max expected to be in line with the increase in shipments of Chinese brands eager to fill the global market vacuum left by Huawei. Finally, international smartphone shipments in the Q1 of 2021 expected to reach 340 million units.
Acording to estimates by Digitimes Research, Apple''s iPhone''s total shipments in the first quarter of 2021 are expected to exceed 60 million units, compared with more than 90 million units in the previous quarter. In the six months ending March 31, 2021, Apple is likely to become the largest manufacturer, with total shipments exceeding 150 million units. That increase 38% over the same period last year.
Samsung Electronics will rank the second. Within these six months, its shipments will decline slightly. The Samsung shipments in the Q4 of 2020 and the Q1 of 2021 will each be 60-65 million units. Xiaomi will rank the third, with a total of 90 million units shipped within six months, a year-on-year increase of more than 80%. Huawei''s smartphone shipments in the Q1 of 2021 will be less than 20 million units, ranking sixth.
JPMorgan Chase analyst Samic Chatterjee recently claimed that iPhone 12 series quarterly shipments continue to enjoy 13% year-on-year growth despite the decline in demand. In contrast, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ive said that Apple has "increased confidence". They believe that the 5G-led product cycle will continue well into 2022.
These forecasts seem to be generally reflected in Digitimes'' analysis, where predicts that global shipments of 5G-enabled mobile phones will reach more than 600 million units in 2021, compared with 280 million units shipped a year ago. Huawei, Apple, and Samsung are the top three 5G mobile phone manufacturers. In 2020, accounting for more than 70% of global 5G mobile phone shipments.
