New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS): The global sales of smartphones to end users is expected to reach 1.5 billion units in 2021, a 11.4 per cent growth (on-year), owing to delayed smartphone replacements and the availability of lower end 5G smartphones, Gartner said on Wednesday.

Gartner forecasts that sales of 5G smartphones will total 539 million units worldwide in 2021, which will represent 35 per cent of total smartphone sales.

After recording a 10.5 per cent decline in 2020 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the industry, smartphone sales are forecast to rebound in 2021, to be close to 2019 levels.

"In 2020, consumers reduced spending on smartphones but availability of new products, will see users drive significant uptick in demand in 2021," said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner.

Mature markets like Asia Pacific, Western Europe, and Latin America are expected to exhibit the strongest growth between 2020 and .

Demand in emerging countries will be driven by buyers looking for a smartphone with better specifications and a 5G connectivity as an optional feature.

"5G is now a standard feature in premium smartphones, especially in the US, China, Japan and South Korea," said Gupta.

Driven by lower-cost models, adoption is particularly aggressive in China, where 5G smartphone share is on pace to reach 59.5 per cent in 2021.

"In addition, lower end 5G smartphones, which are becoming more prevalent outside China, are poised to drive more momentum for 5G smartphones in 2021 across all regions," Gupta noted.