Canalys, a market research firm, today issued its global mobile phone market report for the first quarter of 2023. This quarter had a 12% year-on-year decline, marking the fifth straight quarter of decline. The mobile phone market has not yet started to rebound, but it is now stable. Samsung is the only leading brand with a month-on-month increase. It is now back in first place with a 22% market share.
However, the present difference between Samsung and Apple is still fairly small, with Apple closely ranking second with a 21% market share. This is mostly due to strong demand for the iPhone 14 Pro, and the difference with Samsung in the same period last year has closed dramatically.
Samsung leads but its gap is narrow
Xiaomi kept its third place with a market share of 11%, driven by the release of new devices at the end of the quarter. However, the good news for the company is that it is still number one in China. However, as compared to last year, Xiaomi was nearly caught up by OPPO, with only a 1% market share gap. This was mainly owing to OPPO’s improved market position in Asia-Pacific and China. Vivo came in fifth place with an 8% market share.
Gizchina News of the week
According to Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia, the industry expects a drop in the first quarter of 2023. In some markets, local macroeconomic limits continue to stymie brand investment and operations. Also, the mobile phone market’s chronic dull demand has caused a large-scale destocking through a good part of the whole mobile phone supply chain. In addition, relevant channels are also cutting inventory levels to assure regular operations. Many mobile phone brands try to maintain low or regular shipments. Of course, they are using a conservative production tactic.
However, expert Zhu Jiatao stated that there have been some signs of relaxation in the ongoing decline. The number of shipments will rise in the next quarters due to inventory reduction. Also, the growing appeal of 5G and folding screen phones has injected new life into the market.
