Global mobile shipment to experience a decline of 1.6% in 2016: Gartner

The global mobile phone shipments will continue to slow down in 2016, says Gartner. The research firm has estimated a decline rate of 1.6% in 2016.

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Commenting on the trend, Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner said, “This is no surprise; the smartphone market is maturing, and reaching global saturation with phones that are increasingly capable and remain good enough for longer.”

According to Gartner, the Chinese vendors will boost the Android market by offering more affordable premium devices. Despite the availability of iPhone 7, Apple may not present an impressive performance in 2016, as volumes stabilize after a very strong 2015. As a result, Gartner expects total smartphone market to only increase 4.5% with premium smartphones declining 1.1% in 2016.

“We expect the market for premium smartphones to return to 3.5% growth in 2017, as stronger replacement cycles kick in and in anticipation of a new iPhone next year, which is expected to offer a new design and new features that are attractive enough to convince more replacement buyers,” said Ms. Cozza.

Analyzing the shipments of combined devices, including the personal computers, tablets, ultramobile and mobile phones, Gartner has estimated a decrease of 3%. This is the second consecutive fall forecasted. In 2015, the global devices market fell by 0.75%.