Smartphones will account for 54% of global mobile handset shipments by 2013, predicted IHS late Tuesday.
By comparison, the research firm expects 46% of handsets shipped this year will be smartphones, up from 35% in 2011, which will make 2013 the first year that smartphones will account for more than half of all handset shipments.
"This represents a major upgrade for the outlook compared to a year ago, when smartphones weren't expected to take the lead until 2015," said Wayne Lam, senior analyst for wireless communications at IHS.
He explained that lower prices and a broader range of smartphones have spurred uptake of low-end smart devices in developing economies in Asia-Pacific, and mid-to-high-end devices in the U.S. and Europe.
"[Smartphone] shipment growth in the double digits will continue for the next few years," said Lam. Indeed, IHS predicts that smartphones will make up 67.4% of the total handset market by 2016.
Meanwhile, shipments of feature phones and entry-level handsets will wane.
Feature phones will claim 41% of the market this year, down from 46% in 2011, falling further to 28% in 2016. Entry-level handsets will take a 14% share this year, but shipments will decline to just 4.2% in 2016.
IHS also noted the split in the smartphone market into two distinct categories: mid-range to high-end smartphones; and low-end affordable smartphones. The latter is expected to represent 43% of the global smartphone market by 2016.
"As smartphones become ever more popular and affordable, they will become the focal point of the handset industry," said IHS.
In addition to providing multifunctional capabilities that enhance the customer experience, smartphones should provide operators with a route to increasing average revenue per user (ARPU) thanks to data use on the part of the owner, IHS concluded.