China's smartphone sales fell 14% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022, and vivo's market share surpassed Apple

     On the afternoon of April 28, according to the latest data report from data analysis agency Counterpoint, China's smartphone sales in the first quarter of 2022 were 74.2 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 14%. The transaction volume in this quarter was close to that in the first quarter of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic just began.

　　Commenting on the performance of the Chinese smartphone market, research analyst Mengmeng Zhang mentioned: "As China is plagued by the epidemic. Retail sales growth also fell by 3.5% in March. These factors, coupled with the recent downward trend in demand in the Chinese smartphone market before the epidemic, have had a significant impact on the industry."

　　She added: "The smartphone market has been on a downward trend throughout the first quarter of 2022, with only a small peak during the Lunar New Year holiday. We expect smartphone demand to remain sluggish due to weak consumer confidence and a lack of obvious innovation to stimulate consumers."

　　Counterpoint Research China smartphone market share, Q1 2021 vs. Q1 2022

　　Commenting on major mobile phone vendors, Senior Research Analyst Ivan Lam said: "This quarter, vivo regained the market lead from Apple with a share of nearly 20% (Q4 2021). The newly launched mid-range S12 series, which focuses on selfies and adopts a lightweight and stylish design, has received positive market feedback, especially among young customers. vivo's affordable Y series phones, such as Y76s and Y31s, also performed strongly this quarter."

　　Although Apple's sales fell from the previous quarter as the momentum of the iPhone 13 series began to fade, the iPhone 13 was still the best-selling smartphone in China this quarter. As the iPhone took over Huawei's high-end market, Apple benefited greatly from Huawei's sales decline. Huawei's experience has also led China's leading manufacturers to invest more resources in the high-end field, but so far, they have been unable to occupy a larger share in this field.

　　The HONOR brand rebounded strongly, with its market share jumping from 5% in Q1 2021 to 17% in Q1 2022. Thanks to the performance of the HONOR 60, the brand was also the only manufacturer to achieve positive year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter growth this quarter, at 166.8% and 15% respectively. HONOR also launched the Magic 4 series globally in the first quarter of 2022, demonstrating its ambition to expand its global business.

　　Xiaomi's product sales declined year-on-year, but outperformed the market, with a 12% quarter-on-quarter increase in the first quarter of 2022. Coupled with the easing of component shortages and good sales performance of the flagship Redmi K40, Redmi Note 11 and entry-level Redmi-9A, Xiaomi recorded a relatively strong quarter. The launch of the Redmi 50 series and Redmi 10A in March will further help Xiaomi consolidate its position in the sub-$400 market.

　　Despite the poor conditions in the first quarter of 2022, leading manufacturers continue to work hard to consolidate their position in the high-end market by launching new flagship product lines of foldable phones.

　　Regarding China's new foldable smartphone market, senior research analyst Ethan Qi said: "China's leading manufacturers began to launch foldable devices in 2021. They see the new form factor as a way to further penetrate the high-end market. This quarter, Huawei's clamshell P50 Pocket and book-shaped Mate X2, Samsung's clamshell Z Flip 3, and OPPO's book-shaped Find N were best-sellers. However, due to foldable panel supply constraints and high prices, foldable devices accounted for less than 1% of the market share in the first quarter of 2022."