Worldwide smartphone shipments fell 17% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to Canalys. However, Apple reclaimed the top spot in quarter four and achieved its highest quarterly market share ever at 25%, despite facing shrinking demand and manufacturing issues in Zhengzhou.
Full-year 2022 smartphone shipments declined by 11% to fewer than 1.2 billion, reflecting an extremely challenging year for all vendors, according to Canalys. Samsung finished the quarter in second place behind with a 20% market share, but was the largest vendor for the full year.
Xiaomi retained third place despite its share falling to 11% in quarter four, largely due to challenges in India. OPPO and vivo rounded out the top five, taking 10% and 8% market shares, respectively. Canalys forecasts flat to marginal growth for the smartphone market in 2023, with conditions expected to remain tough.
“Though inflationary pressures will gradually ease, the effects of interest rate hikes, economic slowdowns and an increasingly struggling labor market will limit the market’s potential,” said Canalys Research Analyst Le Xuan Chiew. “This will adversely affect saturated, mid-to-high-end-dominated markets, such as Western Europe and North America. While China’s re-opening will improve domestic consumer and business confidence, government stimuli are only likely to show effects in six to nine months and demand in China will remain challenging in the short term. Still, some regions are likely to grow in the second half of 2023, with Southeast Asia in particular expected to see some economic recovery and a resurgence of tourism in China helping to drive business activities.”
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today
