China smartphone shipment falls 11% YoY in Q3 2022

Overall smartphone shipments in Mainland China slumped by 11% YoY in the third quarter of 2022, amidst macroeconomic, inflation and supply chain problems as shipments continue to decline from earlier quarters in the year.

Apple was able to record a 36% YoY increase in sales growth from Q3 2021, amidst lowering demand and economic downturns, driven by the sale of the iPhone 14 Pro which drew a contrast to the weak performance of domestic brands.

Overall, major Chinese brands had a woeful performance, Xiaomi saw its sales go down 17% YoY,  while Oppo and Vivo saw their sales drop by 27% and 23% respectively. Honor, a spin-off brand from Huawei also saw its sales drop by 16% YoY in the third quarter of 2022.

Although Vivo saw one of the biggest drops in shipment, it still continues to lead China's smartphone market, with 14.1 million units shipped in Q3. Oppo rose to second place with 12.1 million units shipped as HONOR slipped to third with 12.0 million units due to a lack of new launches. Apple came fourth with 11.3 million units, while Xiaomi completed the top five with 9.0 million units shipped in Q3 2022.

Globally smartphone vendors continue to suffer from rapidly declining demand and high inventory over the past quarter and are now putting effort into optimizing operations and profitability while building relationships with their existing user base.