Domestic smartphone shipments dropped 20.4 percent year-on-year in China to 296 million in 2020, from 372 million in 2019, Reuters reports, citing figures released by China Academy of Information and Communications (CAICT). The report shows the decline in domestic smartphone shipments reflected both the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the supply chain and demand, and the ongoing trend for consumers keep their phones for longer before upgrading to a new model.
In 2019, shipments of smartphones had declined 4 percent from the previous year, according to CAICT data. In the first half of 2020, domestic brands Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi Corp saw shipment declines while Chinese brand Huawei continued to grow its market share. The study further found that, in the second half of 2020, Huawei’s sales slowed as trade restrictions imposed by the US on the company took effect, affecting its supply of critical components. Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi boosted their production, in an attempt to capture that share.
Phone makers shipped a total of 25.2 million smartphones to consumers in China in the month of December, which represents a 12.8 percent year-on-year decline, according to the CAICT report.
