Canalys: 2022 sees China’s smartphone market fall to worst levels in a decade
Canalys: 2022 sees China’s smartphone market fall to worst levels in a decade
Canalys has released its latest report on smartphone sales in China for the last quarter of 2022 and the full calendar year. The results are grim, as the market saw a 14% decline in overall shipments, falling below 300 million units for the first time since 2013.
In the fourth quarter, Apple was the top manufacturer with a 22% market share, although shipments fell 24%.
The importance of the Chinese market is enormous for manufacturers, as it is the largest in the world – around 25% of all smartphones in the world are sold in the Asian country. Canalys reveals that most suppliers faced inventory issues in 2022 and struggled to eliminate inventory.
China is moving towards “premiumization” of the market, with manufacturers launching products with “enhanced ecosystem experiences”. Analysts pointed to Xiaomi’s partnership with Leica with the 13 Pro smartphone and Oppo with the expansion of its foldable wallet to include the Find N2 Flip.
vivo retained its top spot for the year, but is now followed very closely by Honor, Apple and Oppo – all four manufacturers have a similar market share of around 18%, followed by Xiaomi with 13%.
Most companies faced a yearly drop in shipments, except for Apple with a slight increase and Honor with a massive 30% jump, but this company was still taking its first steps in 2022.
| Provider | 2022 shipments (millions) | Market share 2022 | 2021 shipments (millions) | Market share 2021 | Annual growth |
| long live | 52.2 | 18% | 71.5 | 21% | -27% |
| Honor | 52.2 | 18% | 40.2 | 12% | 30% |
| Apple | 51.3 | 18% | 49.4 | 15% | 4% |
| Oppo | 50.4 | 18% | 50.5 | 21% | -27% |
| Xiaomi | 38.6 | 13% | 52.5 | 16% | -19% |
| Others | 42.6 | 15% | 52.5 | 16% | -19% |
| Total | 287.3 | 100% | 332.9 | 100% | -14% |
Expectations for 2023 are that demand could need 6-12 months to bring numbers back above 300 million.
Nevertheless, the overall market results are expected to increase as the pandemic is no longer such a severe issue, the supply chain is expected to stabilize, and business operations and consumer confidence are expected to return.
Source
Tech