Worldwide sales of LTE-enabled smartphones are set to surpass the 1 billion milestone for the first time this year, posting 21.3 percent annual growth to hit 1.17 billion, according to the latest report from IDC. Much of that growth will come from emerging markets, where only 61 percent of 2015 smartphone shipments were 4G-enabled compared to the 2016 projection of 77 percent. Mature markets (US, Canada, Japan, and Western Europe) are further along the 4G adoption curve with 85 percent in 2015 and a projected 94 percent in 2016, said IDC.
However, as IDC has previously predicted, overall sales of smartphones will slow significantly this year to 1.45 billion units, a 0.6 percent year on year growth rate compared to the 10.4 percent growth posted in 2015. In terms of platforms, Android will see shipments in 2016 totalling 1.22 billion, equivalent to an 85 percent market share and a 5.2 percent year on year level of growth. In contrast, iOS is expected to see 2016 shipments of 206.1 million, a 14.3 percent market share and down 11 percent year on year.Looking ahead, the report forecasts that Android smartphones will total 1.46 billion by 2020, equivalent to a market share of 85.6 percent, while iOS is set to rise by 2.5 percent to a 14.2 percent market share on 2020 shipments of 243.6 million.
