Global smartphone shipments decline by 11.7% in Q1 2020: IDC

The global smartphone shipments suffered largest year-over-year decline in the first quarter of 2020, according to the International Data Corporation ( IDC ) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. The decline is mainly attributed to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic around the world.

According to the IDC report, about 275.8 million smartphones were shipped in the first quarter, registering a 11.7% decline YoY.

"Although the first quarter usually experiences a sequential (quarter over quarter) decline in shipments, with the average sequential decline over the last three years hovering between -15% to -20%, this is the largest annual (year over year) decline ever," said IDC in its report.

The largest regional decline was registered in China in the quarter where shipments fell by 20.3% YoY. The dependence on China for the supply chain also caused more concerns. Apart from China, shipments in key markets such as the US and Western Europe drastically fell - 16.1% and 18.3% respectively.

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Company wise, Samsung led the shipments with 58.3 million units and 21.1% market share. Huawei stood at the second position with 49.0 million units and 17.8% share. Apple ranked third with 36.7 million units shipped and 13.3% share. Xiaomi and Vivo were at the fourth and fifth positions with 10.7% and 9.0% market shares respectively. It's worth the top three smartphone companies saw a decline in year-on-year change.

"What started as primarily a supply-side problem initially limited to China has grown into a global economic crisis with the demand-side impact starting to show by the end of the quarter," said Nabila Popal, research director with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers.

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"While the supply chain in China started to recover at end of the quarter, as IDC expected, major economies around the world went into complete lockdown causing consumer demand to flatline. Consumers get increasingly cautious about their spending in such uncertain times and it is hard to think smartphone purchases won't suffer as a result. This drop in demand, combined with the lockdowns and closures of retail shops across the globe, strongly impacted all consumer device markets, including mobile phones. As the uncertainties of the lockdowns and total economic impact linger, vendors are reconsidering their outlook for 2020."