Apple’s iPhone shipments in Southeast Asia (SEA) grew 63% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2022, according to Counterpoint Research.
The research group says that premium smartphone sales (those costing more than $400) grew 29% year-over-year, while overall smartphone shipments dropped 10% year-over-year. Counterpoint says that There were some brand-level hits and misses too in quarter three of 2022. Samsung shipments fell 13% year-over-year. As previously mentioned, iPhone sales skyrocketed, and Vietnam seemed to be grabbing iPhones at a faster rate than its neighbors.
“Most Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines raised interest rates in quarter three of 2022 to ease the blow of rising prices on the common consumer. Inflation during the quarter was an average 5% in most SEA countries, which is not alarming but did take its toll on consumers,” says Counterpoint Senior Analyst Glen Cardona. “Prices for fuel, overall logistics and staple items went up, causing consumers to hold on to their wallets and defer big expenses like smartphones. The majority of such consumers are blue-collar workers or from economically weaker sections. While a country like Thailand is struggling to regain pre-COVID volumes due to depleted tourism levels, Vietnam has shown a 13% GDP growth in the third quarter. The effect of the same is reflected in the smartphone shipments in the last few months.”
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today
