Worldwide smartphone shipments declined 11 per cent in the first quarter of 2022, amid unfavorable economic conditions and sluggish seasonal demand, according to a report by Canalys.
“The global smartphone market was held back by an unsettled business environment in Q1,” said Canalys VP Mobility Nicole Peng. “Markets saw a spike in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, though minimal hospitalisations and high vaccination rates helped normalise consumer activity quickly.”
“Vendors face major uncertainty due to the Russia-Ukraine war, China’s rolling lockdowns, and the threat of inflation. All this added to traditionally slow seasonal demand. Vendors must equip themselves to respond quickly to emerging opportunities and risks while staying focused on their long-term strategic plans,” Peng said.
“The good news is that the painful component shortages might improve sooner than expected, which will certainly help relieve cost pressures,” Peng added.
Top players
As per the Canalys Preliminary Smartphone Market Pulse for Q1 2022, Samsung led the market with a 24 per cent share during the quarter, up from 19 per cent in Q4 2021 as the vendor revamped its 2022 portfolio. Apple came second, recording an 18 per cent market share with a solid Q1 owing to the growing demand for its iPhone 13 series.
Xiaomi remained in third place with a 13 per cent market share. Xiaomi held the spot due to the “stellar performance of its Redmi Note series,” as per the report. Oppo (including OnePlus) and Vivo completed the top five with 10 per cent and 8 per cent market share, respectively.
“Despite the looming uncertainty in global markets, the leading vendors accelerated their growth by broadening device portfolios for 2022,” said Canalys Analyst Sanyam Chaurasia. “While the iPhone 13 series continues to capture consumer demand, the new iPhone SE launched in March is becoming an important mid-range volume driver for Apple,” Chaurasia said.
“At a similar price point to its predecessor, it offers an upgraded chipset and improved battery performance and adds the 5G connectivity that operator channels are demanding. At the same time, Samsung ramped up production of its popular A series to compete aggressively in the mid-to-low-end segment while refreshing its 2022 portfolio, including its flagship Galaxy S22 series. While Chinese vendors are still suffering supply constraints at the low end, their global expansion is being hampered by a slowdown in their home market,” Chaurasia added.