It’s no surprise that budget-level smartphones are beginning to gain the favor of consumers worldwide, but it appears there is an imminent explosion of budget-level devices in the coming years. A recent trend by research firm ABIresearch concludes that shipments of sub-$250 phones will grow from 259 million in 2013 to a whopping 788 million in 2018; conversely, mid-level (sub-$400) and high-level ($400+) smartphone shipments are expected to grow from 635 million to 925 million between 2013 and 2018. The reason? Well, it’s quite simple really— budget smartphones continue to see an impressive boom in emerging markets, such as African and Asian countries. Additionally, budget smartphones continue to act as a bridge between the few of you out there who are still on a dumbphone, allowing for more advanced features for a modest to reasonable price. Here’s senior practice director Jeff Orr sharing his thoughts:
“As smartphone penetration moves from early adopters to mass-market and laggard consumer segments, the smartphone as a product will be less dependent on technical superiority, and more dependent on reliability and value.”
Still, ABIresearch is quick to point out the importance and relevance of the mid and high-level smartphones. It points out that “premium smartphones tend to carry the most advanced wireless connectivity and operators who are upgrading their network want to ensure that the handsets running on their network can deliver the best possible experience and customer satisfaction“. So in other words— budget-level devices tend to operate on 3G-esque speeds, while mid and high-level devices tend to offer items like LTE. Oh and don’t forget, people do love things like those awesome displays and nifty personal assistants that help make life easier and all.
source: Business Week
