Research firm eMarketer published a new report forecasting that by 2016 2.16 billion smartphones will be in use worldwide. In order to give that number a bit of context, consider this: in 2013, 1.3 billion 
smartphones were in use, while this year the number rose to 1.6 billion, according to eMarketer.
The report also predicts that by the end of 2018, over 50 percent of all mobile phones in use worldwide will be smartphones—that will mark the first time that smartphones outnumber standard cell phones.
From the CNET article:
That smartphones will officially overtake their more-basic counterparts is no small feat. For years, feature phones have been the most popular because of their affordability. Consumers in emerging markets around the world have also found it difficult to connect to the Internet, making a smartphone, which includes a Web browser, e-mail access and apps, an impractical expense.
According to eMarketer, however, the scene is changing. Internet access is becoming more ubiquitous in emerging markets. At the same time, smartphone prices are starting to inch down.
Read the article here.
-Daniel Ford, DiCentral