Worldwide Smartphone Forecast, 2023 - 2027

Global Smartphone Shipments Expected to Decline 3% Year-on-year to 1,162.5 Million Units in 2023

The demand for smartphones in the market continues to remain weak in 2023, leading to limited growth and pull-in demand.

Global Smartphone Shipments Will Reach 1,302 Million Units in 2027

Looking ahead at the global smartphone market performance in the next few years, it is expected that global smartphone shipments will reach 1,302 million units by 2027

This report presents a forecast of the global mobile phone market volume from 2023 to 2027, including an analysis of price points and operating systems. It also provides an overview of the market volume and market share in major regions worldwide.

Additionally, the report offers valuable insights from MIC analysts on recent developments in the mobile phone sector, encompassing both smartphones and feature phones.

The research focuses on mobile phones and does not include low-frequency phones such as cordless phones and PHS (Personal Handy System) phones. Mobile phones can be divided by mobile communications standard and operating system into GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, TD-SCDMA, cdmaOne, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 1x EV-DO, and iDEN.

Product Technology Definitions

• GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications): GSM is a second generation mobile phone communications digital system and uses TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access). Based on cellular systems, GSM networks primarily provide mobile telephony services. GSM networks adopt circuit switch and operate at 9.6Kbps.
• GPRS (General Packet Radio Service): GPRS is a mobile communications technology that operates on an existing GSM network. GPRS adopts packet-switching technology to transmit data and use network resources more efficiently. Their advantages include always-on access, immediate connection, high-speed transmission, and volume- based charging. Operating at a speed of up to 115Kbps, GPRS is an enhancement to GSM.
• EDGE  (Enhance Data GSM Environment): EDGE is a wireless module technology used in GSM and TDMA systems. Operating on GSM/GPRS networks, EDGE adopts 8PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation in place of the GMSK (Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying) modulation technology in the GSM/GPRS system to deliver data at rates of up to 384 Kbps.
• WCDMA(Wideband CDMA): WCDMA is a third generation mobile phone system that evolved from GSM. Adopting the CDMA technology and 5MHz-wide carrier, WCDMA transmits at 2Mbits indoors and 384kbps in motion, compared with the 200 KHz-wide carrier for narrowband CDMA. WCDMA enables services such as Internet access, video conferencing, MP3 music, and voice telephony.
• TD-SCDMA(Time Division Synchronous CDMA): TD-SCDMA is a third generation mobile phone systemproposed by China. The use of TDD (Time Division Duplexing) allows the network to allocate uplink and downlink time slots as needed and use spectrum more efficiently. The network can transmit data at a rate of up to 2Mbps.
• cdmaOne: cdmaOne (IS-95) is the IS-95A standard that focuses on voice telephony, but only supports data speeds of up to 14.4Kbps. IS- 95B operates on the CDMA platform and supports data speeds of up to 115 Kbps.
• cdma2000 1X: cdma2000 1x(IS-95C) doubles the voice capacity enjoyed by cdmaOne and provides transmission rates of up to 144Kbps through a packet switched data channel.
• CDMA2000 1x EV-DO (Evolution Data Only): CDMA2000 1x EV-DO transmits data at a rate of 2.4Mbps by adopting the HDR (High Data Rate) technology. The standard transmits at a downlink peak data rate of 2.4Mbps and uplink rate of 300Kbps. 1xEV-DV (Data & Voice) transmits at 2.4Mbps, both downlink and uplink.