Apart from the declines in smartphone shipments in China in 2022, the country had a hard time with the persistent coronavirus pandemic.
Smartphone shipments in China dropped 13% YoY in 2022, representing the most significant decline for the market in 10 years. Market research firm IDC revealed the statistics on the 29th of January, which shows that phone consumers are beginning to dial down on expenses. In 2022, 286 million devices were recorded under smartphone shipments in China. Meanwhile, 329 million devices were transported the previous year. As consumers began to spend cautiously last year, China’s smartphone sales reduced by about 43 million YoY.
Smartphone Shipments in China Hit 10-Year Low
The IDC report explained that the 2022 sales volume for smartphone shipments in China is the first time the annual figures were below 300 million. This dramatic fall resulted in the lowest sales record since 2013. Multinational technology company Vivo sold the most devices in 2022, acquiring a market share of 18.6%. Despite being the top-selling brand in China, the company’s total smartphone shipments for the year plunged 25.1% YoY. Furthermore, Honor became the second-best-selling smartphone maker in China. The company’s sales increased by over 34%.
On the other hand, (NASDAQ: APPL) ranked as the third best-selling brand as it lost 4.4% in smartphone shipments in China in the past year. The iPhone maker saw its sales decline the entire year even as it outperformed in Q4 as the most-sold brand. Per a separate report from Canalys, Apple Sold 16.4 million devices in 2022 Q4. Majorly, Apple struggled with supply chain challenges during the year. The technology giant had its first experience of low sales in China in early 2020. At the time, China was just hit by the first wave of COVID-19.
Lucas Zhong, which tracks the Chinese smartphone market for Canalys, stated:
“The strict pandemic control policy has resulted in historically high household savings as consumer spending became conservative.”
Apart from the declines in smartphone shipments in China in 2022, the country had a hard time with the persistent coronavirus pandemic. As the health crisis lingered, the government issued strict controls across several cities, impacting its economy. China saw its economy shrink to one of its worst levels in about 50 years.
China’s shipment levels have a notable influence on global smartphone sales. The global smartphone shipments in 2022 were at their lowest since 2013 at 1.2 billion. IDC also revealed that the international numbers reduced by over 11% year-on-year.
China’s health authorities have been continually updating the situation of the pandemic in the country. In the seven days through last Thursday, the health official recorded over 63,000 COVID deaths in medical institutions. Specifically, more than 6,000 victims died due to complications from pre-existing diseases. Since the country eased anti-virus measures on the 7th of December, the death toll has risen to about 80,000.
