Smartphone shipments in the US took a significant hit in the second quarter of 2023, dropping by a staggering 24% compared to the same period last year, as reported by analyst firm Counterpoint Research. This marks the third consecutive quarter of declining phone shipments in the country.
Counterpoint’s report revealed that consumers showed hesitation in upgrading their devices due to market uncertainty, despite falling inflation numbers and a robust job market. The impact was felt differently among manufacturers, with Android phone makers facing the brunt of the decline. Samsung experienced a sharp drop of 37% in shipments, while Motorola and TCL-Alcatel saw declines of 17% and a whopping 69%, respectively. On the other hand, Apple’s iPhone shipments only dipped by 6%, thanks to strong carrier promotions that helped subsidize costs for the brand’s pricey phones. This also indicates the resilience of premium phone sales amidst the pandemic’s shipment shocks. Meanwhile, Google’s phone shipments increased by 48%, but this was from a low 2% market share during the same period the previous year, making it a relatively modest gain.
Despite the overall decline in phone shipments, Apple emerged as the dominant player in the US phone market, with its market share rising to 55% from 45% in the same period last year. In contrast, Samsung’s market share dropped from 28% to 23%. Other phone-makers maintained their positions at relatively stable levels.
The phone industry has faced challenges in recent years due to the pandemic’s impact on demand and supply shortages. While supply chains have now recovered, the duration for demand to return to pre-pandemic levels remains uncertain. The International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts a 6% year-over-year global phone industry recovery in 2024.
Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
