The worldwide wearables market hit a new record high in the fourth quarter of 2021 as shipments reached 171 million units, up 10.8% from the same quarter last year.
According to research firm IDC, the Philippines tablet market grew by 60% quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2021 as smartphone vendors Nokia, realme, and Xiaomi launched their products in the market. This was, however, still down 44.9% year-on-year.
Realme clinched the top spot for the fourth consecutive quarter, accounting for 20.6% of the smartphone market and growing by 7.9% QoQ, driven by the C-series that accounted for more than 70% of its total shipments.
The growth in 2021 can largely be attributed to Samsung's recent success, as the Korean giant made waves in the market thanks to its newest foldable flagships.
For the full year 2021, total tablet shipments were up 3.2% year over year and reached 168.8 million units, the market's highest level since 2016. Meanwhile, Chromebook shipments declined 63.6% year over year in 4Q21, but managed to grow 13.5% for the full year.
After five consecutive quarters of year-over-year shipment growth, the global PC monitor market hit an inflection point in the third quarter of 2021 (3Q21), registering the first year-over-year decline in shipments since global lockdowns began in the first quarter of 2020 (1Q20), according to research firm IDC.
Despite persistent supply chain disruptions, unemployment, and an uneven economic recovery, consumer demand remained high for smart home devices like smart TVs, smart speakers, and other devices.
