From 2013 to this part smartphone shipments in China were not never fell below 300 million. It happened in 2022, when units sent from factories to retailers in the country were shipped, according to Canalys, 287 million. A year-on-year drop of 14% in the country of one and a half billion inhabitants, which has certain part of the thud of the overall panoramathat -11% on a global scale that analysts had communicated in recent days.
The “14” is a number that recurs in Canalys’ analysis of the Chinese market, smartphone shipments in the fourth and last quarter of 2022 they were 14% lower compared to the same period in 2021.
Under the holidays Apple has established itself in China as the first manufacturer by number of smartphones shippeddespite a decrease in the annual comparison of 24% which puts it behind only Xiaomi, last in the top 5 with a -37% on Q4 2021. Second vivo, third Oppo with OnePlus and fourth Honorall with shipments down compared to the holidays in 2021, the only positive sign (+24%) comes from producers under the heading “others”.
Looking at the full year the balance of power is mixed except for Xiaomi which remains last in the top 5. I first two, vivo and Honorare nowhere near (both 52.2 million units shipped), it follows Apple not even a million units away, the same distance that separates the Apple from oppo, fourth. It is a market, the Chinese one, which was in 2022 firmly in the hands of the first four, which together they sent 206 million units out of 287 totala market share of 18% apiece.
Compared to 2021, the only two companies in the top 5 to have shipped a greater number of units were Apple (+4%), the result of heavy investments in marketing, and Honor with an amazing +30%, which can be explained at least in part by the “rebirth” from the last (dark) years with Huawei, in which it was forced to undergo a US ban (Huawei sold Honor in November 2020). Whether the market will grow again in 2023 will largely depend on China.
