Falling 1.5% sequentially and 7.2% annually, fourth-quarter 2019 smartphone shipments to China remained weak mainly because vendors had difficulty depleting channel inventory, 5G infrastructure coverage was still limited, 5G phones still came with high price tags, telecom operators did not subsidize phones as keen as they did when 4G phones started becoming available and the world economy was weakened by lingering trade tensions. Despite the quarter being the traditional high season, shipments were not very strong.
Digitimes Research estimates that global server shipments moderately declined 1.4% in 2019 but will turn to show positive growth of 6.6% in 2020, totaling 16.01 million units.
Mini LEDs and micro LEDs are expected to become improved backlighting solutions that can significantly enhance displays' quality and create added value in the upcoming years.
Global server shipments grew 11.2% sequentially in third-quarter 2019 with inventory depletion that began from the second-half 2018 to first- and second-quarter 2019 coming to an end.
Global small- to medium-size LCD panel shipments are estimated to drop from 2020 to 2024, while large-size ones will continue enjoying growths through 2020, but start slipping in 2021.
Notebooks, smartphones and tablets are expected to see mixed shipment performances in 2019. Notebook shipments will grow mildly while smartphones and tablets will both see shipments drop. In 2020, only smartphone shipments are expected to grow.
2019 global tablet shipments will slide significantly from the level of 2018 as brand tablets are experiencing weakening momentum from tablet replacement and demand for education tablets, while white-box tablets also face decelerated demand for small-size models and fierce competitions from brand tablets.
