Global PC, tablet and smartphone sales set to stabilize in 2019, says report

The global drop in PC sales should be partly countered by the growing success of high-end ultramobile devices. Image: Stock.com/97 via AFP Relaxnews

Around 2.21 billion personal computer (PC), tablet and smartphone devices will be sold worldwide in 2019, according to Gartner, a slight increase of 0.5% in comparison to 2018. The trend should be relatively stable until 2021.

In 2019, smartphone sales should drop slightly for the third consecutive year. Garnet expects 1.802 billion units to be sold, as opposed to 1.811 billion in 2018, a drop of 0.5%. A slight recovery is expected in 2020 (1.2%), before a further drop in 2021 (1.4%).

When it comes to tablets, sales continue their steady decline, from 149.5 billion units sold in 2018 to a projected 143.7 billion in 2021.

PC sales (all types) should largely follow the same pattern, going from 259.7 billion machines sold in 2018 to 254.9 billion in 2021. It should however be noted that the ultramobile sector, also known as the premium computers sector, appears to be particularly dynamic, with growth of 23.8% expected in the next three years.

In total, the sales of all types of device should stabilize at around 2.2 billion units over several years. CE/JB

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