IDC expects that 4G LTE adoption, phone to smartphone migration and Phablets will drive the smartphone sales in future.
IDC expects 4G LTE adoption and migration from feature phones to remain key drivers of smartphone adoption, with a forecasted growth of 5% in smartphone shipments by 2014. Smartphone screen sizes are also expected to be larger as economies of scale drive cost of display panel downwards. “While still niche now given the high price points, phones with screens larger than 5 inches, or more commonly known as Phablets, will become mainstream as lower display cost opens up greater opportunities for affordable low-end Phablets in the long run,” says Cheah.