Samsung Shipped Less Than 300 Million Phones in 2020, Lowest in Nine Years: Report

Samsung shipped less than 300 million mobile units this year – its lowest figure in nine years – as per a report. The coronavirus pandemic caused the South Korean tech giant's mobile sales dip below 300 million for the first time since 2011, stated the report. However, Samsung is planning to turn this around by aiming to ship 307 million mobile phones in 2021, out of which 287 million will be smartphones and the rest feature phones.

As reported by South Korea's ET News, Samsung's plan for 2021 shipments will see around a 14-percent increase when compared to 2020's projected number. Samsung shipped a total of 189.4 million mobile phones by the end of Q3 this year and is estimated to ship a total of 270 million mobile phones in 2020, when the Q4 projected figures are added.

Samsung's annual shipment dipping to below 300 million units, a first in nine years, is likely a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. Citing an insider from Samsung, the report said that the South Korean tech giant wants to be conservative when it comes to 2021 despite possible benefits arising from restrictions on Huawei.

Samsung is reportedly focusing on increasing the number of 5G models and strengthening sales of medium- and low-end phones next year. The company, as per the report, plans to manufacture 49.8 million flagship models that include the Galaxy S21 series and foldable smartphones.

It is estimated that 55 million smartphones will be manufactured by joint development manufacturers (JDM), as per the report. Therefore, 20 percent of the smartphones that will be shipped in 2021 will be manufactured by JDMs.

Is this the end of the Samsung Galaxy Note series as we know it? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.