China's top-four leading smartphone vendors - Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo - are expected to be able to maintain their leaderships in their domestic market in 2019, as they will continue to enhance their competitiveness in the mid-tier to high-end smartphone segments, according to industry sources.

The top-four vendors accounted for over 80% of total smartphone shipments in China in 2018, and they are expected to be in the world's top-10 vendors ranking list in the year, said the sources.

The four vendors' dominance will make it even harder for second-tier local makers such as Gionee and Smartisan Digital, as well as other foreign brands including Samsung Electronics, Asustek Computer and HTC, to survive in the China market in 2019, commented the sources.

Globally, Samsung, Apple, Huawei and Xiaomi are likely to become the top-four smartphone vendors in 2019, with each one shipping over 100 million units in the year, according to Digitimes Research.

Oppo and Vivo may see their shipments retreat slightly in 2019 but still enough for them to stay in fifth and sixth positions in 2019 with their shipments reaching almost 90 million and 70 million units, respectively, Digitimes Research estimates.

Judging from information from the handset supply chain, Digitimes Research also estimates that global smartphone shipments are unlikely to reach a milestone of over 1.5 billion units in 2019, as 5G technologies would still unable to spur replacement demand and an ecosystem for smart feature phone is not yet well established.

However, smartphone shipments will regain momentum starting 2020 as the kick-off of commercial operations of 5G networks by carriers worldwide will begin to stir up replacement for 5G phones and sales of smart feature phones in emerging markets will increase significantly.

Global smartphone shipments will reach over 1.5 billion units in 2020 and 1.7 billion units in 2023, Digitimes Research says.