Worldwide smartphone shipments are likely to reach 650 million units in the first half of 2021, and shipments in the first and second quarters each will register a double-digit growth from a year earlier, according to Digitimes Research forecasts.

Shipments for all of 2021 will hike 6.4% on year to 1.32 billion units, Digitimes Research forecasts.

The top five brands on the leader board in the first half will be Samsung Electronics, Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo. The five brands will all experience robust shipment growths in the first half, with Xiaomi nearly doubling its shipments.

Digitimes Research also forecasts global 5G smartphone shipments to reach 500-530 million units in 2021, increasing 70-80% from a year earlier, with Apple being the top vendor in the segment.

Worldwide foldable smartphone shipments are likely to hit 18-20 million units in 2021. Although Samsung will continue to hold the top position in the segment, it will see its market share slip below 40% in the year.