This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
As the world grapples with a decline in smartphone sales, Africa is poised to defy the trend. According to research firm Gartner Inc., the continent is expected to see a significant increase in smartphone sales in 2019, with projections indicating a rise from 88.7 million units sold in 2018 to 90 million units in 2019.
Published on August 2, 2019, Gartner Inc.'s forecast is in line with smartphone penetration projections, which are expected to double over the next five years, reaching around 26%.
While other regions, including Japan, Western Europe, and North America, are expected to experience a slump in smartphone sales, Africa's overall outlook for the year remains positive. In fact, North Africa, which is often grouped with the Middle East, is also expected to see an increase in sales, from 75.6 million units to 76.3 million.
“Japan (-6.5%), Western Europe (-5.3%) and North America (-4.4%) are set to exhibit the worst declines in sales of smartphones,” Gartner Inc. stated in a release on its website.
The global research firm attributes the decline in smartphone sales to factors such as lengthened smartphone replacement cycles and a US ban on Huawei, particularly in the first half of 2019. Annette Zimmermann, research vice president at Gartner, noted that demand is expected to weaken further in the second half of 2019 due to low value benefits.
However, Gartner Inc. is optimistic about the future of smartphone sales, predicting that the market will pick up in 2020, driven by the adoption of 5G technology. In fact, smartphone sales in Sub-Saharan Africa are expected to grow to 91.9 million units in 2020.
