iPhone Sales Will Increase in 2018 While Samsung Will Struggle [TrendForce]

In a report obtained by 9to5Mac, technology analysts at TrendForce have predicted that iPhone sales will increase significantly this year, while those of Samsung smartphones will fall. While the report estimates a slower overall smartphone growth in 2018 due to rising component costs, it notes that iPhone production will grow by 7.5% this year.

Iphone x

The firm has estimated that total smartphone production for 2017 surpassed 1.46B units, whereas 2017 iPhone production increased by 3% over 2016, a number it says would have been higher but for early yield rate constraints on the iPhone X. Meanwhile, Samsung also boosted sales by 3% last year, although the report says the South Korean company will see sales fall by the same percentage this year.

TrendForce also predicts that 2018 iPhones will continue to improve Face ID technology, screen to body ratio, and that Apple will increase the memory content and embed AMOLED display in two of its models.

“As the industry leader, Samsung will remain the top for smartphone production in 2018, but will witness a 3% drop in production volume because of great challenges and fierce competition brought by its rivals, including Apple in high-end market and a number of Chinese brands with Android OS.

In order to meet the demand in different ranges of market, Apple will launch the second generation of iPhone SE which targets at the mid-range segment.”

The firm says Apple will be the only brand to have advanced face recognition, while other brands will stick to fingerprint recognition due to technical barriers.

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