Q4 Shipments Down 18.3% Compared to Same Period Last Year
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] Last year, global smartphone shipments dropped by 11.3% compared to the previous year, reaching 1.21 billion units, marking the lowest level since 2013.
Market research firm IDC announced on the 27th that this result was due to decreased consumer demand and the impact of inflation and economic uncertainty.
IDC initially predicted that global smartphone shipments would increase by 2.8% in 2023, but with this outcome, the forecast may be revised downward.
Anthony Scarsella, IDC Research Director, forecasted, "With shipments in 2022 declining by more than 11% compared to the previous year, 2023 will be a cautious year."
In the fourth quarter, global smartphone shipments totaled 303 million units, down 18.3% from the same period last year.
Nabila Popal, IDC Research Director, stated, "There has never been a year-end quarter where smartphone shipments decreased compared to the previous quarter. However, due to reduced demand and increased inventory, suppliers significantly cut shipments."
By company, Apple, which holds the number one market position, shipped 72.3 million units in the fourth quarter last year, a 14.9% decrease compared to the same period last year. Although Apple launched the iPhone 14 series in September last year, production was disrupted at the Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, China, due to the spread of COVID-19 and protests.
Samsung Electronics ranked second in the market with 58.2 million units shipped in the fourth quarter, down 15.6% from the same period last year.
Xiaomi, ranked third, shipped 33.2 million units during the same period, shrinking the most among the top five companies with a 26.3% decrease compared to the previous year.
Fourth and fifth place were held by Chinese companies Oppo (25.3 million units) and Vivo (22.9 million units), down 8.4% and 7.6% respectively compared to the same period last year.
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