Smartphone shipments in the Philippines declined by 8 percent quarter-on-quarter bringing in 3.9 million units in the third quarter of the year, according to International Data Corp.’s (IDC) latest data.
In a statement, IDC said the country’s smartphone market declined for the fifth consecutive quarter during the third quarter of 2022 and this is also 6.8 percent down annually due to high inflation rates.
“The Philippine smartphone market quickly shrank in the third quarter as inflation accelerated, further aggravated by recent typhoons, hurting both consumers and vendors. Vendors took a more conservative approach by clearing inventories, maintaining prices of existing models, and sustaining momentum by bringing in more affordable smartphones,” Angela Medez, IDC Philippines senior market analyst, said in a statement.
The ultra low-endcost of less than $100 price band grew 20.7 percentquarter-on-quarter and 21.3 percentyear-on-year in the third quarter, due to aggressive pushes by vendors such as realme with its Narzo series as well as Infinix with its Smart and Hot Play series, all aimed at targeting the entry level market as consumers sought cheaper options.
As of the third quarter, realme is the leading smartphone in the country with market share of 23.4 percent, followed by Transsion, maker of Tecno and Infinix smartphone, with 15.8 percent and Samsung with 15.8 percent market share.
OPPO and Vivoranked fourth and fifth with 15.5 percent and 13.2 percent market share, respectively, according to IDC.
