2013 will see shipments of smartphones surpass feature phones for the 1st time globally, in line with a report from NPD DisplaySearch. 937m smartphones are projected to be shipped this year, in comparison to 889m feature phones. 

Smartphone shipments will grow at a CAGR of 26 per cent between 2011 and 2016, eventually reaching 1.5bn, two-thirds of the entire cellphone market.

”The global smartphone market is anticipated to continue growing rapidly over the subsequent two years,” said Shawn Lee, research director at NPD DisplaySearch. “With larger, higher-resolution displays, faster processors, and better-capacity cellular systems being built, the smartphone is not just becoming a must-have device, but is satisfying many wants that formerly required other computing and consumer electronics devices.”

China is the world’s largest marketplace for smartphones, and the Asia-Pacific region will account for over 50 per cent of smartphone shipments in 2013.