Smartphones will account for a whopping 82% of handsets shipped during 2017, up from 55% during Q3, NPD DisplaySearch predicts.
The NPD Group subsidiary forecasts that global smartphone shipments will reach 1.8 billion in 2017.
The majority of growth will come from Asia-Pacific - China alone is expected to comprise 30% of the smartphone market by 2017, with shipment volumes on track to grow 63% this year alone.
“Smartphone market growth is being fueled by entry-level smartphones from international brands and white-box vendors in emerging markets,” NPD DisplaySearch senior analyst for smartphones Tina Teng said. “We expect aggressive pricing moves to continue, prompting first-time smartphone buyers to upgrade earlier.”
NPD DisplaySearch predicts that LTE-enabled smartphones will grow in popularity as 4G rollouts gain pace, hitting 41% of shipments in 2017. But the ubiquity and economy of scale of 3G HSPA will ensure it continues to dominate through to this time, when it will have a 51% market share.
Despite just becoming available last year, full-HD displays are on track to becoming the dominant smartphone resolution, reaching 43% market share by 2017.
The research firm also expects the first quad-HD (2160p) displays to launch next year, and achieve 16% market penetration by the end of the forecast period.