Global smartphone market continued to decline in Q1

Global smartphone market still posted a 12 percent decline in the first quarter, but it has shown signs of stability after the pandemic, research firm Canalys said in a report.

Foldable and high-end segment have showed rebounded demands in China, industry officials said.

In the first quarter, the global smartphone market presented a fifth consecutive quarter of decline, falling by 12 percent year-on-year, according to Canalys.

Samsung was the only leading vendor to achieve a quarter-on-quarter recovery and struggled to keep the top position with a 22-percent market share, followed by Apple with 21 percent and Xiaomi's 11 percent.

OPPO and Vivo took the following positions and strengthened sales in the Asia Pacific region with 10 percent and 8 percent shares respectively, according to Canalys.

Ti Gong

Chinese smartphone vendors are continuing to expand in the high-end market, which will help them compete with rivals and improve profitability in a tough market environment.

Firms including Huawei and Vivo launched spring flagship models with photography optimization, foldable screens and artificial intelligence features.

For example, Vivo kicked off its third-generation foldable models this week X Fold 2 and smaller-sized X Flip, which costs from 5,999 yuan (US$869).

"Consumer demand remained sluggish, particularly in the low-end segment due to high inflation affecting consumer confidence and spending," said Toby Zhu, a Canalys analyst.

"On the other hand, 5G popularization and foldable phones are also becoming the new driving forces in the industry," he said.