Global smartphone shipments suffer worst annual decline ever in the first quarter, IDC says

Global smartphone shipments in the first three months of the year suffered its largest annual decline ever, as the disruption and uncertainties posed by the coronavirus pandemic hit demand. Smartphone makers shipped 275.8 million devices from January to March, an 11.7% drop from a year earlier and the largest annual decline ever, according to research firm International Data Corporation (IDC).

China saw a decline of 20.3% on-year, and that had a huge impact on the overall market because the country accounts for almost a quarter of worldwide shipments, IDC said. Most of China was shut in February for an extended period as part of the country’s efforts to contain the outbreak. Global dependency on China for its smartphone components and assembly lines also caused major issues as the quarter progressed and shipments in the U.S. and Western Europe dropped 16.1% and 18.3%, respectively, IDC said.

Research firm Canalys said its latest data showed shipments in China fell 18% on-year to about 73 million devices, but major smartphone makers were “resilient.” Market leader Huawei saw its shipments grow annually by 1% for the quarter but the likes of Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Apple saw declines in one of the world’s largest smartphone markets, the firm said.

Counterpoint Research said its analysis found global smartphone shipments fell around 13% from a year ago in the first three months of 2020. It was the first time since early 2014 that companies shipped fewer than 300 million devices in a quarter, its researchers found.

Global smartphone shipments suffer worst annual decline ever in the first quarter, IDC says, CNBC, May 1