IDC: Smartphone shipments saw biggest drop ever last quarter

Smartphone shipments experienced their biggest drop ever in the past quarter. This is reported by market research firm IDC. The number of smartphones delivered fell by 18.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

IDC reports that 300.3 million smartphones were shipped last quarter, representing that drop of 18.3 percent. According to the research firm, smartphone shipments have never experienced such a large drop in a single quarter. IDC also states that this drop contributed to a contraction in smartphone shipments throughout 2022. 1.21 billion phones were shipped in the full year. That is 11.3 percent less than a year ago. That’s the lowest number since 2013, according to IDC.

According to figures from IDC, the decreases can be seen at almost all smartphone makers. Apple recorded the lowest percentage drop of the five largest smartphone makers, with 14.9 percent. The biggest drop was seen last quarter at Xiaomi. That manufacturer delivered 26.3 percent fewer telephones in the last quarter than a year earlier.

“We’ve never seen deliveries fall in the holiday quarter compared to the previous quarter,” writes Nabila Popal, research director at IDC. However, weak demand and large inventory surpluses caused sellers to buy drastically fewer phones last quarter, the research firm says.

The falling deliveries are therefore partly due to economic uncertainties and declining consumer confidence, resulting in less unnecessary expenditure. Several smartphone makers have recently lowered their expectations. According to IDC, the poor numbers of the past quarter jeopardize the expected recovery in smartphone sales. The research firm now expects any recovery to be postponed until the end of this year.z1