Component shortages could cause more smartphone delays this year

As the smartphone industry keeps growing and shifting, it’s becoming hard for manufacturers to secure components due to the heightened demand by emerging players all over the globe.

DigiTimes reports that trend is expected to continue, especially thanks due to players in China like Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, and Xiaomi increasing component orders to prepare for further growth and sales. That’s not to take into account the various other smaller players eating up little handfuls of market share on their own, and — of course — Apple and Samsung’s own gluttonous needs.

The biggest apparent effect we should expect from this trend? Smartphone delays. It’s not that we’re expecting smartphone launches to be timed any differently than what we’ve come to expect, but initial supply for top devices may get stretched even thinner, something which would result in backorders and shipment delays (though we’re so used to them by now that we’re starting to build up a slight tolerance).

Our hope is that the increased demand for components doesn’t come with a heightened price tag for OEMs, which would surely get passed onto consumers in some fashion. The last thing anyone wants is more expensive smartphones, especially when the industry trend is to make them cheaper and more accessible than ever before.