’98 percent handset sales will be smartphones by 2020′

New York, March 2 (IANS) Smartphones would constitute 98 percent of handset sales by 2020, according to a study by US-based market research firm iGR.

"Many factors are driving the global increase in smartphone sales. First and foremost is the decrease in smartphone prices, which is making them more accessible in developing markets," marketwired.com said citing the statement of Iain Gillott, president and founder of iGR, on Tuesday.

"The consumers in these developing markets are increasingly moving towards smartphones, which provide a portable, data-driven lifestyle," he added.

Due to this development, out of a total of almost two billion mobile handsets that were sold during 2015, sales of smartphones were significantly greater than those of non-smartphones, according to iGR's 'Global Handset and Smartphone Sales Forecast, 2015-2020: Still More Smartphones'.