A market research company (IDC) report Sunday said smartphone sales in China fell 13 percent year-on-year in 2022, the sector’s biggest decline in a decade in light of cautious consumer spending. units shipped totaled 286 million compared to 329 million a year earlier. According to the company’s report, this means total sales in 2022 were the lowest since 2013, the first year since annual sales fell below 300 million.
Android phone maker Vivo was the top-selling brand during the year with an 18.6% market share. However, total shipments fell 25.1 percent year on year. Honor was the second-best-selling brand, with shipments up over 34 percent, but that was the result of a lower base of comparison. Apple ranked third in 2022.
China’s strict anti-Covid controls have taken their toll on the economy, which fell to its worst level in nearly half a century last year. The decline in smartphone sales in China is in line with the sector’s performance globally. According to IDC, global smartphone shipments have reached 1.2 billion units, the lowest level since 2013, equivalent to a year-on-year decline of more than 11 percent.
