Global Smartphone Shipments Decline in Q2 2023, Xiaomi Sees Steepest Drop

According to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC), global smartphone shipments reached 265.3 million units in Q2 2023.

This figure represents a 7.8% year-on-year (YoY) decrease compared to Q2 of the previous year, which saw shipments of 287.6 million units.

In Q2 2023, the Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi experienced the sharpest decline, falling 16% YoY from 39.5 million units to 33.2 million units.

Samsung shipments decreased by 15.2% YoY, from 63.1 million units to 53.5 million units. Despite this, the South Korean brand maintained the highest global smartphone shipment volume compared to its competitors.

Its main rival, Apple, saw a 6.3% YoY decrease in smartphone shipments, from 45.4 million units to 42.5 million units in Q2 2023.

During the same period, Transsion recorded positive growth. This Chinese smartphone company, which oversees emerging brands like Infinix, Tecno, and iTel, successfully entered the top five globally in shipment volume.

Transsion shipped 25.3 million smartphones in Q2 2023, a 34.1% YoY increase compared to Q2 of the previous year, which saw only 18.8 million units shipped.

Nabila Popal, research director of IDC's Worldwide Tracker, predicts a recovery in global smartphone shipments in Q3 2023, coinciding with a return to normal smartphone inventory levels.

She also predicts that the foldable phone market will be an attractive smartphone product for consumers.

"We expect the foldable phone market to grow by almost 50% in 2023, while the overall market remains down," said Nabila via the IDC website on Thursday, July 27, 2023.