Smartphone shipments in China fell 11% year-on-year in the third quarter as the country’s slowing economy took a toll on consumer demand. Brands shipped a total of 70 million smartphones to sellers in the period, down from 78.9 million in the same period last year.
Apple Inc. was the only brand to top the trend, with shipments jumping 36% to 11.3 million. Vivo was the top-ranked brand in the quarter, shipping 14.1 million devices and taking a market share of 20%.
Apple currently ranks as the fourth top-selling brand in China, with a market share of 13%. Xiaomi Corp., which ranked as the fifth top-selling brand, saw shipments fall 17%. The top three brands - vivo, OPPO, and Honor, saw shipments fall 23%, 27%, and 16% respectively.
The decline continues an ongoing trend for the sector, which in recent years has faced challenges ranging from the global chip shortage, the economic impact of China's zero-COVID policy, and lengthening upgrade cycles from consumers.
Canalys analyst Toby Zhu said in a report, “Vendors have been suffering from rapidly declining demand and high inventory over past quarters which has severely damaged confidence in the overall supply chain.”
