Marketing & Media trends

Industry trends

In association with

ICT trends

Agriculture trends

Recovery starts now - looking back at 2020 and ahead to a more resilient region
Patrice Talla
Agricultural review of 2020 and outlook for the year ahead
John Hudson

Automotive trends

Construction & Engineering trends

How Covid-19 has forced designers to reimagine the work experience
Sindy Peters
A bright horizon for South Africa's energy landscape
Barry Bredenkamp
Achieving developmental goals through construction
Cyril Vuyani Gamede
The engineering workforce of the future will be digitally inclined
Selvan Murugan

CSI & Sustainability trends

4 trends set to continue or be re-interpreted in the NGO sector
Innocent Masayira
Simple ways to accelerate business sustainability outcomes
Kavita Pema
Strengthening NPO skills and processes
Nazeema Mohamed, Feryal Domingo and Soraya Joonas
Sustainability paving the way for future of waste management
Kate Stubbs
Sustainability is key for social investment in 2021
Keri-Leigh Paschal
Finding solutions to the complexities of 21st century youth unemployment
Gabriel Hamuy

Education trends

Energy & Mining trends

Sustainable energy evolution opens opportunities for SA businesses
Tygue Theron
Digital solutions need small steps to succeed
Xanthe Adams
Mining looks ahead to more Covid risk
Ralf Hennecke
The future of SA's energy mix
Gaopalelwe Santswere
Mining's year ahead will demand deep innovation
Frederick Cawood
Just energy transition will continue to accelerate
Ben Brimble

Entrepreneurship trends

Finance trends

The 4 themes for the new year
Andrew Duvenage,
4 trends that will have a major impact on private equity in 2021
Bryan Turner
3 skills finance professionals cannot go without in 2021 and beyond
PJ Bishop
3 wealth management trends to watch in 2021
Maarten Ackerman
4 strategies to rethink investing in SMEs
Kuhle Mnisi
Microinsurance ready to reach new heights
Marius Botha
Finding alpha in the age of Covid-19
Nema Ramkhelawan-Bhana
What's driving short-term insurance in 2021?
Ian Sibiya
Purpose or profit. It's not a choice
Mike Middleton
Shifting towards a digital - but still human - approach
Henry van Deventer
How life insurers can transform the customer experience in 2021
Gareth Quinn

Healthcare trends

The 3 prevalent influencers in healthcare in 2021
Paul Cox
African demands for post-Covid healthcare align impact with investor opportunity in 2021
Jason Mitchell
Healthcare innovation in 2021 and beyond
Reynhardt Uys
Are day hospitals the new trend?
Lee Callakoppen
3 emerging medical scheme membership patterns
Nerine Brink
Healthcare innovations to look out for
Moshe Lichtenstein

HR & Management trends

Legal trends

Lifestyle trends

The emerging plant-based paradigm - 7 trends for 2021
Mira Weiner
5 key factors influencing the business of fashion
Meagan Duckitt
A renewed focus on community through exclusive content and livestreaming
Tecla Ciolfi
Wine in the wake of corona
Kristen Duff and Gosia Young
Finding purpose and wellbeing through travel
Mariette du Toit-Helmbold
7 prospects and necessary shifts for the arts
Rucera Seethal

Logistics & Transport trends

Marketing & Media trends

Property trends

Retail trends

Tourism & Travel trends

Covid-19

News Links Donate #LockdownLessons

ICT jobs

Business Analyst Johannesburg
Business Analyst Johannesburg
IT Deputy Manager Pretoria
Full-Stack .Net Developer Johannesburg
Senior C# Developer Johannesburg
Intermediate C# Developer Durban
Senior C#/DevOps Engineer Johannesburg
Senior C# Full-Stack Developer Cape Town
C# Front-End Developer - Angular Johannesburg
Intermediate Front-End Developer Johannesburg

More...Submit a job Open account

Advertise your job ad on Bizcommunity

Submit a job ad

Subscribe to industry newsletters

ICT Trends sponsored by

#BizTrends2021: Looking ahead at the smartphone market

6 Jan 2021

By: Michelle Wynne

If 2020 has shown us anything, it's that change and disruption are a constant. The effects of the global coronavirus pandemic led to unprecedented shifts in the way we live, work, learn and transact - with a widespread move online and digital platforms.

Michelle Wynne, Head of Marketing - Sub Sahara Africa at HMD Global

These changes have undoubtedly impacted the smartphone space and will continue as an already high mobile penetration grows. Research indicates the number of mobile connections in South Africa was equivalent to 176% of the population, equating to 103.5 million mobile connections. With over 36 million able to access the internet, and 94% of internet users aged between 16 and 64 own a smartphones.

The statistics reflect the growing role that smartphones play in an ever-shifting world where technology acts as an enabler, making it critical to look at the trends that will be front and centre going into 2021:

Trust, privacy and security are foremost in the public consciousness like never before

Safety and security are going to play a pivotal role in a post-Covid reality where offerings are going to be digital-first. Security needs to be the cornerstone of any device – particularly as the rate of cybercrime continues to grow.

South Africa has proven to be especially vulnerable to attack, with the third-highest number of victims globally last year, costing an overall R2.2 billion. Hackers also strike every 39 seconds – an average of 2,244 times a day – showing the critical need for security to underpin every function and capability.

In line with this, HMD Global, is amongst the top Android brands, delivering monthly security updates for three years and operating system updates for two years. Committed to full transparency, HMD Global plans to commence upgrading its Android 11-ready portfolio to the latest Android OS in Q4 2020 with the newly-available Nokia 8.3 5G-ready and the Nokia 5.3 devices.

This is a commitment across our portfolio regardless of price points and launch dates, that we are going to continue to invest in heavily as security becomes ever more critical,” says Wynne.
Accelerating 5G smartphone accessibility and popularity

5G has, of course, been an up-and-coming trend since 2018, but it is now well and truly on the radar.

A recent study showed that worldwide shipments of smartphones grew in the second quarter of 2020, and that 5G smartphones now account for more than 10% of shipments around the world; and the estimated global revenue is approximately 20% of all smartphone sales.

This shows 5G’s continued growth and increasing popularity, and HMD Global’s expanded portfolio range incorporates this latest technology. As an example, the newly launched Nokia 8.3 5G-ready smartphone is designed to support multiple and evolving 5G network deployments, with support for both standalone and non-standalone 5G combinations. Packed with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G modular Platform with the Snapdragon X52 5G Modern-RF is perfectly optimised for 5G. This also means the Nokia 8.3 5G will always be ready for what’s next, supporting the largest number of 5G New Radio bands yet. The handset is also the new 00 agent smartphone of choice featured in the upcoming James Bond movie No Time to Die.

These 5G-ready phones are testament to our commitment to blend a number of firsts with affordability, usability and reliability in mind.
Value for money leads the way

We know that price and value is the most important deciding factors when it comes to a phone purchase in South Africa. Closely followed by battery life and screen size; South Africans will continue to look for value-for money smartphones that offer a quality experience.

Change and uncertainty have undoubtedly become a defining feature of 2020, and this looks set to continue into 2021. The good news is that this will drive greater levels of innovation, which will certainly be seen in the smartphone space.