Research company IDC tipped a longer recovery period for the worldwide smartphone market, predicting shipments would decline 9.1 per cent in 2022, a 2.6 per cent decrease from its previous forecast.

IDC expects smartphone shipments will drop to 1.2 billion units, more than half of which are tipped to be 5G models. The company forecast the proportion to increase to 80 per cent in 2026.

Ryan Reith, group VP with IDC’s mobility and consumer device trackers, stated the global smartphone market would remain challenged in the first half of 2023, but he expects growth later in the year.

It predicted shipments in 2023 would grow 2.8 per cent, but noted unit numbers would be 70 million lower than previously expected due to macroeconomic challenges.

IDC forecast shipments of iOS smartphones will rise 1.3 per cent in 2023 and Android 3.1 per cent, down from a previous forecast of 6.2 per cent.