In the first quarter of 2023, the Chinese smartphone market experienced a decline in shipments, reflecting a shift in the demand and performance of different brands. These trends were revealed in the latest report by Digitimes Research.
During tQ1’23, smartphone shipments to the China market hit 62 million units, a QoQ decrease of 12.4% and a YoY decline of 7.2%. This decline is due to several factors, including brand vendors pre-stocking inventory in December 2022 for promotions during the Chinese New Year holidays. Unfortunately, sales in the latter part of the first quarter failed to meet expectations, leading to an overall decrease in shipments.
Among the top five Chinese smartphone brands, Oppo, Honor, Vivo, and Xiaomi all experienced a decline in shipments compared to the previous year. Huawei, on the other hand, stood out as the sole brand to achieve shipment growth during this period. This resulted in a change in the brand rankings for the quarter: Oppo surpassed its competitors to claim the top position, with Apple slipping from the top spot to second place and Honor falling to third place.
The combined shipment share of the top five brands accounted for 88.7% in the first quarter, indicating a slight decrease compared to the previous quarter. This change was influenced by the improved market share of Huawei, which ranked sixth.
Change in Rankings for Q1’23
- Oppo climbed from 3rd to 1st place.
- Apple slipped from 1st to 2nd place.
- Honor fell from 2nd to 3rd place.
- Vivo maintained its position at 4th place.
- Xiaomi maintained its position at 5th place.
Projected Q2’23 Smartphone Market in China
- Smartphone volumes expected to stay flat compared to the first quarter, with a small YoY decline.
- Apple is projected to drop to 4th place in brand vendor rankings for the second quarter.
