A new report says that iPhone growth will crush Android through 2021

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Does the global economic downturn due to the pandemic got you down? You’d never know it looking at the analysts’ predictions for the smartphone market, which is forecasted to grow 7.4-percent this year, then slow slightly through 2022 and 2023.

That prediction comes from IDC, whose data shows the primary driver of that increase is the venerable iPhone. Apple’s crown jewel is on its way to double the pace of Android in 2021. That’s even before Apple has released their latest models in the iPhone 13 line, so Apple should be on for a bumper earnings year.

Anthony Scarsella, research director of Mobile Phones at IDC says, “Premium smartphones (priced at $1000+) continued to grow in the second quarter as the segment displayed 116% growth from last year. Moreover, ASPs across the entire market climbed 9% as buyer preferences trend towards more costly 5G models than entry-level devices.”

The main reason IDC attributes the growth in the smartphone market when every other industry suffered in the last year is a simple one. Inventory levels. Smartphone OEMs were already forecasting growth, so they built out their supply chains to accommodate that.

Even with slower sales and manufacturing halts in 2020, no manufacturer reduced their production targets, just reworked their timelines. That’s why you can still find any model of iPhone or any other premium smartphone you want on a shelf, while you can’t find PC components like graphics cards for love nor money.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.