Smartphones shipped to the China market shrank to only 62 million units in the first quarter of 2023, down 12.4% sequentially and 7.2% on year, but the volumes in the second quarter are expected to stay at about the same level as in the first.

As IC packaging trends toward high density and multiple layers, IC substrates that use Ajinomoto Build-up Film (ABF) as an insulation material (also called ABF substrates) are gaining market attention. Japan was once a major IC substrate provider, but Taiwan has overtaken its market share.

The global top-5 notebook brands, not including Apple, saw their combined shipments slip around 30% from a month ago in April because of a high comparison base in March hiked by the brands' robust short-term orders.

First-quarter 2023 global tablet shipments came to only 29.44 million units, declining 17% from the prior quarter and 8% from the prior year as the market entered the traditional slow season; however, with brands' robust short-term orders, the volumes will only drop less than 1% sequentially in the second quarter.