We’re in the home stretch of 2014. And the trajectory of global smartphone shipments has become crystal clear.

Juniper Research now estimates that the number of smartphone shipments will approach 1.2 billion this year.

If you’re not keeping score at home, that’s an increase of 19% from 985 million in 2013.

“The market is expected to be driven by growth in emerging markets, due to a continued surge in sales and adoption of low-cost Economy ($75-$150) and Ultra-Economy (sub-$75) smartphones,” Juniper says.

Other key findings from Juniper’s data include:

  • Apple and Samsung will account for nearly 45% of the global smartphones shipped this year.
  • The Average Selling Price of a smartphone will decline globally to reach $274 by 2019.

For more insight into the projections, Juniper’s complimentary “Smartphones – Emerging Push vs Maturing Pull” whitepaper is available for download now.