Global smartphone production declined by 11 per cent in the third quarter of 2022 compared to last year. Trendforce has released its latest data that says that the quarterly number of smartphone production has slightly decreased by 0.9%. The industry saw 289 million units produced between July and September. As per the report, the contraction of smartphone production during 2022’s peak season was due to brands prioritizing channel inventory consumption for the devices amid the global economic slowdown.
In terms of production, Samsung turned out to be the leader with 64.2 million units produced. However, the company is expected to see a decline in production in Q4 of 2022. The Korean phone maker has also turned out to be the leader in foldable smartphones. It is also expected to hold a 90 per cent global share in this segment. The report predicts that the market share of foldable smartphones will climb to 1.5%, with Samsung retaining a share of almost 80% in the segment.
Samsung is followed by Apple with 50.8 million units in iPhone production for Q3. Following the release of the iPhone 14 series, much of the demand for the new iPhone models has been tilted toward the Pro subseries. However, iPhone Pro models will be impacted by the unrest at a Foxconn plant in China’s Zhengzhou city as workers protested against the delay in bonuses, food shortages, and poor living conditions caused by the stringent Covid restrictions in the country. This incident will impact the total iPhone production in 4Q22.
Meanwhile, Xiaomi comes at number three, encompassing its sub-brands Redmi, POCO, and Black Shark. OPPO and Vivo take fourth, and fifth positions respectively.OPPO includes Realme and OnePlus, and Vivo also takes account of iQoo. These companies also have to deal with COVID-19 lockdowns in the home market and the recent deceleration of India’s economic growth.
In order to maintain a loyal group of customers, Samsung, Apple, and Huawei have been self-developing chips such as mobile SOC. Chinese brands are also following in their footsteps.
