News
Global smartphone shipments declined in 2020 by 8.8%
Down 1.24 billion units shipped for the year
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the global smartphone shipments according to the latest report by DigiTimes. Their latest report estimates an annual decline of 8.8 in total shipment last 2020 as the pandemic crippled sales and demand for smartphones.
The annual decline of 8.8% for 2020 translates to a total of 1.24 billion units. This is still a lot of smartphones shipped by manufacturers though it was significantly lesser than the previous years. Last 2019, DigiTimes estimated the global smartphone shipments at 1.5 billion units.
Further reports also corroborate the decline in shipments for the unusual year. TrendForce, for example, puts the total shipments at 1.25 billion units for an 11% year-on-year decline.
As for quarterly figures, DigiTimes noted that total shipments dove to 20% in Q1 2020. It fell further with a double-digit decline in Q2 2020, then with a single-digit decline in Q3 2020. Things improved by Q4 2021 when shipments registered a single-digit rebound.
On a positive note, the market for 5G-capable smartphones fared well last 2020. The total shipments for 5G-enabled smartphones reached 280-300 million units, which is huge compared to 20 million units shipped last 2019.
Apple and Xiaomi beat 2020’s current trend
The top six smartphone vendors for 2020 are Samsung, Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo. Almost all of these vendors suffered a decline in shipments but two vendors, in particular, managed to beat this trend: Apple and Xiaomi. Both posted an impressive growth of 10% in shipments compared to last year.
For Apple, the improvement is no surprise considering that it had a good 2020. The first half of the year saw the Cupertino-based company release a follow-up to its popular iPhone SE. Then, it continued the second half with the release of the iPhone 12 which also brings a new model to the table.
Meanwhile, other smartphone vendors such as Samsung and Huawei took a big dip with a double-digit decline for 2020. This is not surprising for Huawei, which fully felt the impact of the ban last year. The loss of Google Play Services could have deterred potential buyers from looking into Huawei’s portfolio, resulting in lesser sales at least for non-China markets.
News
Xiaomi Redmi A3 Philippine pricing, availability
Budget smartphone with high refresh rate display
Xiaomi is bringing high refresh rate displays to its budget line with the announcement of the Redmi A3. The latest addition to the entry-level Redmi line boasts of an expansive 6.71-inch HD+ display with up to a 90Hz refresh rate.
The Redmi A3 is available in Midnight Black, Star Blue, and Forest Green. The smartphone is priced at PhP 3,399 (3GB+64GB) and PhP 3,999 (4GB+128GB) respectively for its two configurations.
Customers may preorder the phone until April 27 via Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok. General sale begins April 26th in all Xiaomi stores nationwide. Freebies are a Basic Piston Earphone for online purchases and a 3-month Viu Premium subscription for in-store purchases.
The Redmi A3’s immersive screen allows users to consume various content in high-definition with better smoothness, a boost for a phone of its price point. The screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection as well, and DC dimming to reduce blue light exposure.
The phone also sports a refined design that lets go of the iPhone-looking camera arrangement. Instead, the main camera is now in the middle as part of a watch face-looking setup similar to other Android phone offerings.
Speaking of, an 8MP main shooter highlights the back of the Redmi A3. In front is a 5MP front camera. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G36 processor and runs on an Android 14-based OS. Furthermore, it has a 5,000mAh battery with 10W of USB-C charging.
Other handy Redmi A3 features for users to utilize include a 3.5mm jack, Face Unlock, and Fingerprint Unlock.
For the longest time, Google kept Pixel and Android behind two different teams. While the Pixel team dealt with devices made by and for the brand, the Android team ships a product meant for brands outside of the company’s purview. However, the days of separation are at an end. Google is officially merging its Pixel and Android teams together.
In a shocking announcement, the company has confirmed that the teams handling hardware and software will fall under a single team headed by Rick Osterloh. Prior to the merge, Osterloh was the senior vice president of devices and service, which was Google’s hardware branch. He will now oversee both hardware and software.
Because of the new leadership change, Hiroshi Lockheimer, former head of Android, will now move on to other projects within Alphabet. Of note, the change is not harsh for Lockheimer. He and Osterloh had been contemplating on the merge for a while.
Now, why the change? As is the case with everything today, it’s all because of AI. Speaking to The Verge, Osterloh explains that the merge will help with “full-stack innovation.” With how technology is these days, it’s now impossible to develop AI without having a close eye on hardware, such as in Google’s AI developments for the Pixel camera. Merging the teams will help streamline development, especially when hardware is involved.
Despite the change, outside brands, like Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon, remains confident of Android’s capabilities outside of Google. Just expect more AI coming out in the near future.
Since the Pixel 6 series, Google continues to wow the market as one of the most unique camera designs available in the market today. This year, the brand’s Pixel 9 series might reinvent itself again with a slightly updated redesign.
Between the Pixel 6 and Pixel 8 series, Google introduced a wraparound camera island extending from the left edge to the right edge. While most smartphones today still use the traditional top-left island layout, Google’s lineup consistently grabs admiration from onlookers.
Now, according to an early leak (from Rozetked, via 9to5Google), Google might cut the camera island’s size before it reaches either side of the Pixel 9. The remaining chunk looks like a horizontal pill-shaped camera island right in the middle of the rear panel. It looks like a common camera island comically enlarged and turned on its side. Alternatively, it also looks like a webcam attached to a phone.
Based on the new leak, the new camera island will have three unknown lenses, the usual LED flash, and an unconfirmed sensor. Besides the different camera, the leak also confirms the usual tray of hardware on the side. There’s nothing too revolutionary.
As always, the Pixel 9 series is scheduled to come out in the fall of this year.
SEE ALSO: Pixel 9 series will reportedly come in four models
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