According to a new report from Canalys, the global smartphone market recorded a third consecutive quarterly decline, this time down 9%. Samsung and Apple still manage to grab valuable market share.
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Since the start of 2022, smartphone sales have been going badly. The third quarter is no exception to the rule, as highlighted in the latest report from Canalys: sales fell 9% from one year to another, after an 11% drop recorded in the first quarter.
This decline is the third in a row for the current vintage. Worse, Canalys even believes that the months of July, August and September just passed represent the worst quarter since 2014. This tumble is explained by a simple reason: the economic situation and the inflationary context are slowing down sales.
Juggling inventory
Consumers preferred to postpone their purchases, or even cancel them. Above all, this negative trend should continue over the next six or nine months, estimates Canalys. For their part, smartphone manufacturers have had to show flexibility and control to manage the evolution of demand on the one hand, and their stocks on the other.
“For the majority of manufacturers, the priority is to reduce the risk of inventory accumulation in view of the drop in demand. Manufacturers had significant inventories until July, but sales gradually increased from September thanks to promotions and other aggressive discounts”, analyzes Amber Liu, of Canalys.
And to continue: “The pricing strategy for new products is carefully thought out, even for Apple, in order to avoid any disproportionate reaction from consumers who tend to be very sensitive to any price increase”, can we read in the report.
Apple grabs the most
Apple, precisely, is one of the winners of this third quarter, having gained 3 points of market share from one year to another: 18% in Q3 2022, against 15% in Q3 2021. Sales of new iPhones in September probably helped on their scale.
Same song on the side of Samsung, which remains in the lead with 22% market share, against 21% last year, a virtual stagnation. Xiaomi remains on its positions with 14% of PDM, when Oppo (with OnePlus) drops from 11 to 10%. Vivo is the one with the biggest drop, from 11 to 9%.
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