Worldwide smartphone shipments will reach a total of nearly 1.3 billion units in 2014, representing an increase of 26.3 per cent over 2013. According to research company IDC, some 1.4 billion smartphones are expected to be shipped worldwide in 2015 for a 12.2 per cent year-over-year growth rate. Slower annual growth will continue through to 2018, when unit shipments will approach 1.9 billion units, resulting in a 9.8 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the 2014–2018 forecast period. Smartphone revenues reflect a starker picture, as they will be hard hit by the increasingly cutthroat nature of pricing, resulting in a 4.2 per cent CAGR over the same forecast period. Report