Counterpoint: China smartphone sales declined 22{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} in Q1, Huawei extends lead

According to the latest report from Counterpoint Research, smartphone sales in China experienced the roughest quarter in recent memory, dropping by 22{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} compared to Q1 2019 values. As expected the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the main reason for weak demand as shipments in February alone declined by 35{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} YoY. At the same time, tge share of online sales grew to 50{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3}, up from 30{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} last year.

Huawei was the only OEM to stay afloat during the period with a 6{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} increase in sales. Apple saw a mere 1{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} decline while vivo (-27{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3}), Oppo (-30{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3}) and Xiaomi (-35{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3}) suffered significant setbacks. In terms of market share, the abovementioned companies accounted for 93{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} of total sales with Huawei alone holding a near 40{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} share.

The iPhone 11 was the best selling device for the January – February period, marking the seventh consecutive month it reigned supreme. Huawei’s Mate 30 5G, nova 6 series and Honor’s 9X were the other best sellers for the period.

As a whole 5G phone shipments saw a 120{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} increase compared last year and now account for 15{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} of all smartphones. Over half of all 5G phones shipped in Q1 2020 were Huawei-made. Oppo, vivo and Xiaomi were the other leading 5G smartphone companies. Counterpoint predicts that 5G phones will account for 40{8c54160eed80eb00ac4f5d74c8785e95142d89daf570f201b81dc7fdc31059f3} of the market by the end of Q4 2020.

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