New numbers from Counterpoint Research paint a rough picture for China’s smartphone market. Things show a steady climb, dating back to the iPhone 5’s 2012 launch, before peaking in December 2016 and beginning their descent back down to Earth.
Sales in China dropped sharply in Q2 at 14.2%, year over year. The numbers are now at their lowest since the iPhone 5 arrived, less than half since their peak and nearly 13% below Q1 2020, when the pandemic accelerated the already slowing market.
The causes are myriad, as is generally the case with these things, including continued COVID-19 lockdowns in the country, broader economic forces and a resulting drop in consumer confidence.
“During this period, major cities across China, including financial and manufacturing hub Pan-Shanghai, …
