Smartphones: Consumers have a lot to look forward to in 2021

As things start to open up, the pent-up demand for smartphones is expected to play out now. Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Realme and Samsung are gearing up to launch their new products.

Considered a lean period, the January-March period this year is expected to be different due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic last year as many consumers would be looking to buy or upgrade their existing handsets.

More than 12 million units of smartphones were sold in January in, indicating the surge in demand.

Analysts are expecting smartphone sales numbers to post 12%-21% growth in 2021. This means around 150 million more smartphones will be sold this year compared to 2020.

Xiaomi is expected to launch the Xiaomi Mi 11 and the redmi Note 9 5G by the middle of March in India. Samsung is also set to launch the Galaxy A52, a mid-range smartphone to compete with Xiaomi’s offerings. Though Samsung and Xiaomi will be competing to capture the market share, Realme and Vivo are also expected to launch their mid-end contenders in the market before April. However, Xiaomi and Samsung are expected to dominate.

The key focus area for smartphone manufacturers while introducing their new products will be 5G. The introduction of Android 11 will also play a major factor in driving smartphone shipment and sales number this year.

OnePlus will also be launching their OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro.

All in all, 2021 seems to be a promising and growth-oriented year for the smartphone sector in India.