Francisco Jeronimo

Explaining tech trends that shape business |📱VP Devices @IDC | 📣 TEDx Speaker 🏆 Top Influencer: #54 Marketing • #25 DX • #56 AI 💡 ex-Founder | 🚀 Mentor

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

"El mercado mundial de smartphones cayó un 2,9% interanual hasta los 293,8 millones de unidades en el primer trimestre de 2026, rompiendo una racha de diez trimestres consecutivos de crecimiento, según IDC. Dentro de esa contracción, el segmento prémium alto -entre 1.000 y 1.600 dólares- creció más de un 20% interanual, mientras que el ultraprémium -por encima de 1.600 dólares- más que duplicó su tamaño. Por el contrario, las gamas media y de entrada se contrajeron un 12%, según explica Francisco Jeronimo, vicepresidente de client devices en @IDC."

https://t.co/ZIaownuwSj

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

" @IDC VP Francisco Jeronimo calls it a “tsunami-like shock originating in the memory supply chain.” The math is brutal: limited cleanroom capacity forces memory giants to choose between feeding AI’s bottomless appetite or supplying smartphone makers operating on razor-thin margins. When a single AI server rack can consume memory equivalent to hundreds of phones while generating exponentially higher profits, the choice becomes obvious."

🔗 https://t.co/iJAkYtRg11

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

"The companies’ situation could get worse, Francisco Jeronimo, analyst at @IDC, told @CNBC.

“We can expect further negative impact this year...the price of gas, energy and freight are at an all-time high and are likely to remain high for a few more quarters, even if the situation de-escalates,” he said. “Even with a potential ceasefire, the supply-side damage doesn’t improve overnight.”

"Chip companies “all understand they need to diversify to be less dependent on a specific region,” said Jeronimo. From a short-term perspective, TSMC is building inventory buffers and diversifying sourcing, he added."

“The companies that will be insulated [against impacts from the Iran war] are the ones with safety stock, diversified sourcing and pricing power on manufacturing capacity,” said Jeronimo.

“Everyone else will be under increasing cost pressure for the rest of 2026.”

🔗 https://t.co/UqINERnZAZ

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

“Apple will very likely become number one in China,” Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of client devices at @IDC, told Sherwood News, noting that in the first quarter, the gap between Huawei and Apple’s market share was less than 1% — a vulnerability exacerbated by recent launch delays for Huawei’s latest Mate 80 series. He estimates that Apple could take the top spot as early as the end of the year."

🔗 https://t.co/tzxXviMSm5

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

"A big question will be whether Ternus has "the appetite for the kind of bold, occasionally uncomfortable decisions" that defining an @Apple AI platform will require, said @IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo."

https://t.co/vWOaHoz1K8

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

Visited Apple's recycling centre in Breda, the Netherlands, last month, one of the two places in the world where Daisy, Apple's iPhone disassembly robot, operates.

It was very interesting to see the future of recycling up close. Daisy takes iPhones apart in a way that not only recovers materials more efficiently but also helps shape how the next iPhone is designed.

I've also covered the highlights of Apple's 2026 Environment Progress Report and the progress towards the Apple 2030 goals.

Read it here 👇

https://t.co/7SHQdMk53T

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

"The company now assembles around 25 per cent of iPhones in India according to @IDC estimates. “This is quite remarkable for @Apple . . . considering that it took a relatively short period of time to build capacity,” said the IDC’s Francisco Jeronimo.

Read more 🔗 https://t.co/DloFWjOXc2

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

“@Apple was caught up by the number of people buying Minis for Clawdbot [aka OpenClaw], which would have been impossible to predict a few months ago,” said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president at research firm @IDC ."

Full story here 👉 https://t.co/LgkK2SKHKu

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

🚨 Apple has just published its 2026 environmental report. ♻️

📑 Read it here 👉 https://t.co/fltHMs4fDm

The company details its significant advancements toward achieving carbon neutrality by the end of the decade. It reached a new milestone by incorporating 30% recycled materials across its entire product lineup, including  100% recycled cobalt in its batteries.

Also, an impressive achievement is the elimination of plastic from packaging and the introduction of the MacBook Neo, which stands as their most sustainable laptop to date.

Apple has successfully reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by over 60% while expanding its use of renewable energy and fresh water replenishment projects. To encourage consumer participation, Apple is offering Earth Day incentives for those who trade in old devices for professional recycling.

Plenty of insightful data to digest. It is worth a read 📑 https://t.co/fltHMs4fDm

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

Very proud to be shortlisted for the Computing Digital Technology Leaders Awards 2026 in the category Digital Ambassador of the Year 🎉

https://t.co/00c0b6njTF

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

🚨 As predicted in our previous blogs, the 📱 smartphone market began to be affected by the memory crunch 📉, ending 10 consecutive quarters of growth. But this is just the beginning of what we can expect in 2026.

@Apple (+3.3%) and @Samsung (+3.6%) are the only two companies benefiting from this crisis, with volume growth and market share gains in 1Q26.

Although the top 5 vendors remain largely unchanged in 1Q26, we see the market changing across regions and price tiers.

In 2026, vendors will prioritise value over volume. The focus will be on:
📊 profitability through portfolio management
📦operational execution through supply chain management, channel discipline, and inventory control.
💡 This is the only way manufacturers will get through this crisis.

Read more here 🔗 https://t.co/fO5TNMCH4n

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

Last year I gave a keynote at @TEDxLisboa on the topic "The Hidden Cost of Your Devices" ♻️

📹 Watch the full video here: https://t.co/5DwNH8QPWj

I tried to put into perspective the scale of the challenge we’re facing with electronic waste, and how closely it connects to the way we consume technology.

🌍 62 million tons of e-waste are generated annually and growing

📱 Over 1.2 billion smartphones ae purchased every year

♻️ Only ~22% is properly recycled globally

⛏️ A large share of materials are sourced from places such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, often under very difficult conditions

These numbers are striking and we need to change the way we use devices:
⏺️ we upgrade quickly
⏺️ we replace instead of repair
⏺️ we rarely question the default option of buying new.

What I emphasised in the keynote, and what feels even more relevant now, is that this isn’t only a supply-side problem. Regulation is evolving, brands are adapting, but consumer behavior is still one of the most powerful levers in the system.

Choosing to repair a device, extending its lifespan, or considering refurbished alternatives are small decisions we can do as individuals. At scale, they have a measurable impact, both environmentally and economically.

📹 Watch the full video here: https://t.co/5DwNH8QPWj

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

In conversation with Diogo Assunção about the future of smartphones

📽️Watch the full video here 👉https://t.co/T6Cbwq41Rt

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

Why not? An AI version of ourselves is something we all will have in the future. This could very well become one of the defining tech trends of the next decade.

🔗 https://t.co/51XOzFjdc9

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

In conversation with @lourencomedeiro about the memory crisis @SIConline

🎥 Watch the full video here 👉 https://t.co/oUrCV89oLc

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

"Without the iPod, Apple would likely have lacked both the financial strength and the operational maturity required to take on the complexity of the smartphone industry," said Francisco Jeronimo, technology analyst at market research firm @IDC."

Read more 🔗 https://t.co/DpVQfiJDPl

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

At #MWC2026, I spoke with Nabila Popal, Senior Research Director Global Devices at @IDC. We uncovered some of the key announcements, but the real story was memory shortages and the geopolitics challenges on the devices market.

📹 Watch the full video here 👉 https://t.co/NQiNt2b32w

Watch the video to learn more about:

💾 Component inflation: Smartphone prices are up 20–30% due to memory shortages, which is altering device economics.

🏭 Supply gatekeeping: Vendors like Apple and Samsung Mobile are prioritised, while smaller OEMs struggle to secure supply.

⚠️ Low-end pressure: Sub-$100 segments, which represents the majority of sales for brands like Transsion, are becoming economically unsustainable.

🌍 Disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz are impacting global logistics flows.

⛽ Rising oil prices are squeezing consumer demand just as device costs increase.

🔒 Privacy is becoming hardware-led (e.g., Samsung’s selective display shielding).

🤖 AI is moving beyond the screen, with concepts like HONOR’s robotic agent devices pointing to new interaction models.

IDC’s forecast shows consolidation at the lower end, forcing mid-tier players to move up-market into more competitive segments, where differentiation will depend less on price and more on ecosystem strength, brand equity, and the ability to integrate AI into meaningful user experiences.

📹 Watch the full video here 👉 https://t.co/NQiNt2b32w

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

Bryan Ma talks to @Bloomberg about the memory shortage and the impact on the smartphone market in 2026 @IDC @bryanbma

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

Amazon exploring a smartphone at this stage raises more questions than answers: the market is contracting, there's a memory shortage driving costs up, and differentiation in a mature category dominated by Apple, Samsung, and Chinese OEMs is nearly impossible.

If this is a conventional phone play, the odds of success are low; however, the more interesting angle is whether this is actually a vehicle for something broader. An AI-centric, conversational companion home device aligned with Alexa's evolution is an interesting opportunity.

Under Panos Panay, Amazon has the leadership to rethink its hardware strategy, but the real challenge is not execution; it is choosing the right category where it can deliver meaningful, defensible value in an AI-first world.

Read more here 👉 https://t.co/xuUts88W8B

[Francisco Jeronimo @fjeronimo]

OPPO puts to rest one of the main problems for many users of foldables: the crease. Although it never really bothered me much, many consumers didn't like it. With the Find N6, @oppo is claiming a "zero-feel crease", and most reviews I've seen so far seem to be very positive. If that holds up in real-world use, this is an important step forward for the segment, not because it is a flashy feature, but because it removes one of the biggest points of friction for consumers. Kudos to OPPO for such an announcement 👏

[Pete Lau @PeteLau]

Had a great time unveiling #OPPOFindN6 on stage last night!

While foldables give you that bigger, more immersive display, the crease has always been one of the biggest user concerns. It's one we've been working to solve since the original Find N and its pioneering waterdrop hinge.

With the Find N6, we refined the hinge and materials to deliver a true Zero-Feel Crease. Now users get the full expansive screen with zero interruption.