The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic impacts have resulted in a further decline in smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2020. A new report by Gartner suggests that overall smartphone shipments fell by 20.4% year-over-year, totalling to 295 million units in the second quarter. In comparison, the second quarter of 2019 saw 370 million smartphones sold.
The decline in sales is one of the worst in recent history. Samsung experienced the biggest drop across phone manufacturers, shipping 27.1% fewer units worldwide. This almost ties Huawei and Samsung for the first spot – with both the company’s shipping close to 54 million units, each – this quarter, as Huawei saw a 6.8% decline in sales. Apple’s numbers, on the other hand, remained constant, amounting to 38 million units – a 0.4% decline.
Senior research director at Gartner, Anshul Gupta, added:
Travel restrictions, retail closures and more prudent spending on nonessential products during the pandemic led to the second consecutive quarterly decline in smartphone sales this year. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to negatively affect Samsung’s performance in the second quarter of 2020. Demand for its flagship S Series smartphones did little to revive its smartphone sales globally.
Huawei reportedly performed well in China due to its “aggressive product introduction and sales promotion”. Additionally, Apple too faired well in the region. However, the report suggests that the flatlining in year-over-year numbers for Apple also came from higher iPhone SE sales.
While the improved conditions in China during the second quarter did impact sales numbers, the region still witnessed a 7% decline in overall shipments. However, in India, the extended lockdowns and restrictions on eCommerce deliveries resulted in a 46% sales decline.
Source: Gartner
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