Counterpoint: China's smartphone sales in 2023 will decrease by 1.4% compared to the previous year.

date
29/02/2024
avatar
GMT Eight
Recently, Counterpoint Research released a report summarizing the 2023 smartphone shipments in various markets. In 2023, smartphone sales in China decreased by 1.4% year-on-year, compared to a 13.9% decrease in 2022. In the fourth quarter of 2023, smartphone sales in China increased by 6.6% year-on-year, marking the first quarterly growth in over two years. Apple took the top spot, followed closely by Huawei. Apple's sales in the fourth quarter decreased by 9.0% year-on-year, while Huawei's sales increased by 71.1% driven by its 5G chips. From the third quarter to the fourth quarter, Honor maintained strong growth. The Chinese market is expected to see its first single-digit year-on-year growth since 2018 in 2024. The US smartphone market saw a recovery in the fourth quarter of 2023, with Apple's market share reaching a new high since the fourth quarter of 2020. In the fourth quarter of 2023, Apple's sales share soared to 64%, the highest level since the fourth quarter of 2020. Due to soft demand from low-end Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), Android phone sales declined in the fourth quarter. US carriers AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all reported a decline in upgrade rates and device sales. With the economic recovery, the US smartphone market is expected to achieve single-digit growth in 2024. Smartphone shipments in Indonesia decreased by 6% in 2023. Compared to a 10% decline in the first half of 2023, smartphone shipments in the second half of 2023 in Indonesia decreased by 1% year-on-year. In the second half of 2023, the mid-range ($400-600) and high-end (> $600) segments grew by 13% and 11% respectively. Transsion (688036.SH) Group continued its strong momentum in 2023, growing by 34% year-on-year. Shipments of 5G smartphones in 2023 increased by 10%. Due to improved consumer confidence at the end of the year, the smartphone market in Thailand grew by 2% year-on-year in 2023. In 2023, the market for cheap phones under $200 grew by 17%, while all other price segments declined. Samsung took the top spot in the Thai smartphone market with a 21% market share, but overall brand shipments declined by 4%. In the sub-$200 segment, 5G smartphones grew by 139%. In the fourth quarter of 2023, smartphone shipments in Colombia decreased by 8.4% year-on-year, the lowest since 2020. Despite a nearly halved shipment volume year-on-year, Samsung maintained market leadership with a 21% market share. Honor grew by 225% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2023, achieving a historical high shipment volume, with a market share of 6% for the year. Smartphone shipments in Bangladesh decreased by 25% year-on-year in 2023, with vivo taking the top spot in the market. Due to unfavorable economic factors, smartphone shipments in Bangladesh recorded the largest annual decline in history, down 25% year-on-year. vivo led the smartphone market with a 16.1% market share, while TECNO ranked second with a 15.8% share, almost doubling its annual growth rate. In the overall mobile device market (including feature phones), Symphony ranked first in 2023, followed by itel. In the coming years, with the expansion of the user base, easing economic pressures, local currency appreciation, and the advancement of digitalization, the smartphone market in Bangladesh is expected to recover. In the fourth quarter of 2023, smartphone shipments in Europe decreased by 3% year-on-year, showing signs of recovery. In the fourth quarter of 2023, the European smartphone market only declined by 3% year-on-year, the first single-digit shipment decline since the fourth quarter of 2021, indicating that the market may be on the verge of recovery. The 5G patent agreement between OPPO and vivo with Nokia is expected to kick-start the recovery of these two manufacturers, although they have lost a significant amount of market share. The smartphone market in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region is experiencing strong growth, with TECNO surpassing Samsung to take the top spot for the first time in the fourth quarter of 2023. In the fourth quarter of 2023, smartphone shipments in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region increased by 30% year-on-year and 9% quarter-on-quarter. Shipments for the full year of 2023 increased by 11% year-on-year, reflecting continuously increasing market demand and improving consumer confidence. 5G smartphone shipments in this quarter increased by 60%, driven mainly by Samsung and Apple. TECNO grew by 77% year-on-year in the fourth quarter, surpassing Samsung to become the market leader. Honor achieved the largest year-on-year growth in the fourth quarter of 2023 by introducing several new products in different price segments. The smartphone market in Latin America declined by 3% year-on-year in 2023, but is expected to grow with increasing competition. Counterpoint predicts that the Total Addressable Market (TAM) for smartphones in the region will achieve single-digit percentage growth in 2024. Smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter of 2023 increased by 4.2% year-on-year, marking the second consecutive quarter of growth in the region. Samsung still maintains the top spot in the region, with a market share of 30.5% in the fourth quarter of 2023, down from 39.2% in the fourth quarter of 2022. Apple achieved its best quarter ever, with a market share of 7.7% in the fourth quarter of 2023. Honor ranked fifth in the fourth quarter of 2023 with a market share of 4.6%, its highest level to date. The smartphone market in India continued to perform steadily in 2023, with Apple shipmentsThe first time breaking through ten million copiesIn 2023, Samsung ranked first with an 18% market share, surpassing the top spot for the first time since 2017. vivo ranked second in 2023 with a 17% market share, leading with a 33% share in the entry-level high-end phone market (30,000 to 45,000 Indian Rupees). Apple's shipments exceeded 10 million units, helping the company to top the revenue rankings for the first time in the year. The share of 5G smartphones in 2023 exceeded 52%, with a year-on-year growth of 66%.

Contact: contact@gmteight.com