Smartphone shipment in the country declined 11 percent in the first quarter of the year versus the same period last year as market conditions remained difficult driven by core inflation that continued to rise through March 2023, according to International Data Corp.’s (IDC) latest data.
In a statement, the IDC worldwide quarterly mobile phone tracker showed that the Philippines’ smartphone market declined by 16.7 percent quarter over quarter and 11 percent year over year, shipping 3.5 million units in the first quarter of 2023.
“The last time shipments hit below 3.5 million records was back in 1Q20 (first quarter of 2020) when the pandemic just started and the first lockdown was implemented,” said Angela Medez, IDC Philippines client devices senior market analyst.
As of March this year, the top five smartphone companies in the Philippines based on unit market share are Transsion, Realm, OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi.
IDC said Transsion climbed to the top spot, ending Realme’s two-year streak as top the ranking smartphone company in the Philippines.
“Transsion sub-brand, Tecno, grew 33.7 percent year on year and 108 percent quarter on quarter contributing more than 50 percent to the company’s total shipments, surpassing Infinix’s share,” IDC added.
Tecno’s rise is attributable to its aggressive campaigns offering new models at different price points and introducing its Phantom series, initiating the brand’s entry in the $500+ band.
“Though it seems that the market has finally bottomed out and is on its road to recovery with inflation finally slowing down, IDC anticipates shipments to remain flat in 2023 as vendors will remain cautious with inflation still above comfortable levels,” Medez said.
IDC’s Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly and monthly basis. – Myla Iglesias
