China’s smartphone market recovers in 2023 amid increased competition, Huawei’s strong comeback in 5G handset segment

Domestic smartphone shipments totalled 289 million units last year, compared with 272 million in 2022, according to the latest report published on Monday by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), a scientific research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

That increase was in stark contrast with the 22.6 per cent year-on-year decline recorded in 2022. Last year’s shipment volume remained behind the 351 million units shipped in 2021.

The positive 2023 China smartphone unit shipment figure from CAICT was also in contrast to market research firm IDC’s earlier forecast of a 3.6 per cent decline in domestic handset shipments last year to 276 million.

Domestic brands made up 231 million units, or around 80 per cent, of China’s total smartphone shipments last year, advancing slightly by 1.1 per cent from 2022, according to CAICT data.

“The Chinese smartphone market is expected to see full-year growth in 2024”, despite lingering macroeconomic headwinds, Singapore-based IDC analyst Will Wong said in a report by the South China Morning Post earlier this month.

Tech war takes a new turn as Huawei pushes 5G smartphones with mystery chip

China’s revived smartphone growth would represent a bright spot in the global industry that has struggled with macroeconomic headwinds. Global smartphone shipments declined 3.2 per cent to 1.17 billion units last year, which marked the lowest full-year volume in a decade, according to an IDC report last week.