New entrants from the consumer electronics market will drive the smartphone market to amount to sales exceeding 26 million by 2015, according to a new study from Juniper Research.

In its new report, ‘Next Generation Smartphones: Strategic Opportunities & Markets 2010-2015'  the analyst believes that smartphone functionality will increasingly filter down to mid-tier handsets and that competition will drive smartphone pricing down though this may likely be mitigated by the launch of handsets with new functionality. Furthermore, the combination of the smartphone and the app store, predicts Juniper, will result in substantial increases in data usage over the smartphone device.

In terms of where the growth will originate, Juniper identifies Asia as asserting greater influence in the production of Smartphone devices with manufacturers like HTC, LG and ZTE bolstering their smartphone portfolios.

"The availability of the Android operating system and the commoditised nature of several elements of the handset supply chain are behind both of these developments," commented Anthony Cox, senior Analyst at Juniper Research. "Any manufacturer with consumer electronics expertise can add mobility to their devices by incorporating an Android operating system into a smartphone," he says, adding that they are doing so partly due to the tight margins in the PC industry.

Juniper believes that at least ten players are planning to launch both smartphone and tablets this year. "Barriers to entry may have come down but competition is fiercer than ever," added Cox. "The consumer is likely to benefit most through lower prices and enhanced functionality," he says, even if some players fall by the wayside.