TechInsights: Global smartphone shipments in Q1 2023 reached 269.1 million units, down 14% year-on-year

According to the latest research released by TechInsights, global smartphone shipments fell 14% year-on-year to 269.1 million units in Q1 2023. Samsung ranked first in the global smartphone market with a market share of 22.5%; Apple ranked second with a market share of 20.4%, which was the company's highest smartphone market share in the first quarter in the past decade; Xiaomi, OPPO (including OnePlus) and vivo remained in the top five.

Global smartphone shipments and market share in Q1 2023 (numbers are rounded)

The report pointed out that Samsung's smartphone shipments in Q1 2023 were 60.5 million units, with a market share of 22.5%. The company's smartphone shipments fell 18.8% year-on-year, but due to the higher-priced Galaxy S23 series, it performed very robustly in terms of smartphone wholesale prices and operating profitability; Apple ranked second, with shipments of 55 million units and a market share of 20.4%, which was Apple's highest first-quarter market share since 2013. Shipments fell 3.5% year-on-year, but still performed better than the overall market . The iPhone performed well in emerging markets (especially India) this quarter, while its performance in the United States, China and Japan remained weak.

According to the analysis, Xiaomi's smartphone shipments in Q1 2023 were 30.5 million, ranking third with a global market share of 11.3%, down from 12% a year ago . Affected by inventory adjustments, Xiaomi lagged behind other major Chinese brands, with shipments falling 22% year-on-year. Due to inventory adjustments and regulatory resistance, Xiaomi's ranking in the Indian market has slipped to fourth place (behind Samsung, vivo and OPPO (including OnePlus)); OPPO ranked fourth, accounting for 10.3% of the global smartphone market share . OPPO's shipments fell 7% year-on-year in the quarter, but performed better than the overall market, mainly driven by the OnePlus brand, which achieved strong growth in the Chinese market driven by a streamlined brand strategy and a renewed product portfolio. The two brands together also topped the Chinese smartphone market in Q1 2023; vivo ranked fifth in Q1 2023 with a global smartphone market share of 7.9% . As 4G and 5G competition intensified in China and other markets, vivo's smartphone shipments fell 16% year-on-year and lost ground in most markets.

It is learned from the report that, in addition to the top five, global competition among other major smartphone brands was very fierce in Q1 2023. Transsion, Honor, Lenovo-Motorola, Realme and Huawei ranked in the top ten , but the performance this quarter was mixed. Transsion remained in sixth place, achieving healthy growth in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Latin America, but overall smartphone shipments experienced a double-digit annual decline for three consecutive quarters; Honor's development also encountered a slowdown. Due to the weak performance of the Chinese market in Q1 2023, it experienced an annual decline, while overseas shipments began to grow in recent months; Lenovo-Motorola surpassed Realme with a 4% market share this quarter and jumped to eighth place. However, due to the slow product release cycle, it experienced a sharp decline in the US market; Realme fell to ninth place, with an annual decline of double digits, and lost market share in most regions; Huawei remained in the top ten, and its smartphone shipments fell 13% year-on-year this quarter. In addition, considering the rumors that the United States has extended sanctions on 4G, WiFi and artificial intelligence-related chipsets and technologies, the company's prospects remain uncertain. Among the top ten brands, there are 8 Chinese brands, but the combined shipments of all these Chinese brands fell by 16%, lagging behind the overall market. However, compared with the previous quarter, the situation has improved, indicating that the market may recover in the second half of this year.

TechInsights predicts that global smartphone shipments will continue to decline, down 3% year-on-year in 2023, with a modest rebound expected in the third quarter and double-digit growth in the Christmas holiday season. Samsung and Apple will continue to hold the top two positions. Chinese brands need to stabilize their performance in the Chinese market and explore new growth engines to reverse the downward trend.

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