The end-of-year celebrations have not brought luck to smartphone makers. By the end of 2022, the sector experienced its most violent fall in ten years. With just 300 million phones sold in the fourth quarter, the market is down 17% compared to last year.
a difficult environment
This last quarter worsens the results already registered in 2022 and weighs down total sales for the year. Figures from analysis firm Canalys identify 1.2 billion smartphone deliveries last year. That’s a drop of 11% compared to 2021. On the other hand, the market is progressing in value, driven by increasingly expensive copies.
To explain these poor results, “a difficult macroeconomic environment throughout 2022” stands out. And in detail: “The distribution channel is very cautious regarding the acquisition of new inventory, which contributed to the weak deliveries in the fourth quarter.”
Samsung tops 2022 sales
On the manufacturer side, Apple has managed to maintain its position as the leading smartphone brand as the holiday season approaches. With the new models launched in September, iPhones accounted for one in four sales in the last quarter of 2022. Followed by Samsung (20%), driven by the launch of the Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4, Xiaomi (11%) and Oppo (10%). However, Samsung remains the most popular brand throughout the year. The manufacturer captured 22% of sales in 2022, ahead of Apple (19%) and Xiaomi (13%).
For 2023, Canalys forecasts do not seem to tend towards an increase in sales. “While inflationary pressures will gradually ease, the effects of interest rate hikes, the economic slowdown and an increasingly troubled labor market will limit the market’s potential,” analyst Le Xuan Chiew said.
Thus, a negative impact is expected in saturated markets. Especially since we now have to take into account the extension of the duration of use, as Guillaume Chaigneau, the head of Xiaomi in France, explains in the echoes. “Today, the French keep their phone for about three years, he points out. This leads to a postponement of sales.”
Source: BFM TV
