Global smartphone shipments tumbled 13% in Q1 2020 due to COVID-19

The share of 5G smartphones, however, increased by 7% in Q1 2020 compared to the previous quarter.

What you need to know

• According to Counterpoint Research, the global smartphone market fell 13% YoY in the first quarter of 2020.
• A total of 295 million smartphones were shipped globally, down from 341 million in the same period a year earlier.
• The only brands that achieved growth in shipments in Q1 2020 were Xiaomi and Realme.

The global smartphone market declined 13% YoY in the first quarter of the year, according to the latest data from Counterpoint Research's Market Monitor service. Due to the impact of COVID-19, nearly all major smartphone brands saw their volumes drop significantly during the quarter.

Smartphone shipments fell below 300 million units in the January to March period, the first time since Q1 2014. As per Counterpoint Research, the sharp decline was driven by a whopping 27% YoY shipment decline in China. In addition to lower consumer demand, the disruption in China due to COVID-19 also had an impact on the supply side for some Android OEMs, affecting their global shipments.

Nearly all major smartphone makers witnessed a decline in shipments during the quarter, with Xiaomi and Realme being the only exceptions. Xiaomi's shipments increased 7% YoY, while Realme registered an impressive 157% rise in shipments. This was partly due to the fact that India, which is a major market for both companies, implemented a lockdown only in the last week of March.

Samsung's shipments declined 18% compared to Q1 2019, although it still managed to capture one-fifth of the global smartphone market. Huawei declined 17% YoY, but was still the second largest smartphone vendor globally during the quarter. Apple remained the third largest smartphone vendor in Q1 2020 and saw iPhone shipments decline by only 5%. Its global market share actually increased 2% YoY, despite the slight decline in shipments.

Global smartphone shipments are expected to fall further in the second quarter, with TrendForce predicting a record 16.5% fall in production.

Global smartphone production could fall by a record 16.5% says TrendForce