Smartphone Shipments Forecasted to Decline: Counterpoint Research Predicts Lowest Level in a Decade

Smartphone Shipments Forecasted to Decline

Counterpoint Research predicts that smartphone shipments will experience their lowest level of the past decade due to slowing demand in key regions.

Preliminary figures suggest a 6% drop in shipments, totaling 1.2 billion units. Counterpoint Research emphasizes weakness in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding China and India), North America, and China.

Jeff Fieldhack, research director for North America, points out a disconnection between the region's economy and device purchases, noting that there have been "record low upgrades across all carriers" so far in 2023.

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Counterpoint Research states that premium and ultra-premium devices are defying the overall shipment decline. This trend could potentially propel Apple to the top spot, considering its range consists mainly of high-end devices.

Ethan Qi, associate director for China, explains that the premium segment in China is continuing to gain market share, positioning Apple favorably in the country.

Looking ahead, the launch of Apple's latest flagship iPhone next month may present an opportunity for operators to attract high-value customers during Q4, according to Fieldhack.

However, Fieldhack acknowledges that production issues, which reportedly impacted Apple in 2022, create uncertainty around the prediction, stating that "it's really a toss-up at this point.

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