Seeing the feeble smartphone sales in their home market China and reduced smartphone purchases by consumers in overseas markets because of inflation, Chinese smartphone brands, to lower channel inventory levels, stayed conservative with their global shipments in the third quarter of 2022 with combined volumes amounting to around 140 million units in the quarter, down 5.5% sequentially and 18.2% on year.

Global tablet shipments reached 38.4 million units in the third quarter of 2022, slightly better than DIGITIMES Research originally anticipated, driven mainly by increased orders from Apple, which saw tablet shipments disrupted by China's COVID-19 lockdowns implemented in cities of the Yangtze Delta, and other brand vendors' keen promotions on tablets.

According to DIGITIMES Research's observations, amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, worldwide inflation and interest rate hikes, 2022 global tablet shipments are estimated to further decline 1.5% to come to 139 million units. Looking into the next five years, governments around the world raise interest rates to fight inflation, which however curbs economic growth.

According to DIGITIMES Research's surveys and analyses, second-quarter 2022 smartphone shipments to the China market amounted to 64.2 million units, representing a new low since third-quarter 2020 and an 11.1% on-year decline, amid the already weak market demand on top of lockdown restrictions.

According to Digitimes Research's statistics, global tablet shipments amounted to 31.95 million units in second-quarter 2022, coming short of expectation, as the market fell under negative influences including low season effects and rising global inflation as well as China's COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, which mainly affected the supply side.

According to Digitimes Research's statistics and analyses, with sales in China remaining sluggish and rising inflation dampening consumer spending in overseas markets, China-based smartphone vendors' channel inventory levels ran high and their shipments continued to decline in second-quarter 2022, amounting to 150 million units, down 5.2% from a quarter ago and 4.6% from a year ago.

Global smartphone shipments are expected to experience another quarter of on-year decline in the second quarter of 2022, dropping for four quarters straight since third-quarter 2021.

DIGITIMES Research's statistics and forecast show global smartphone shipments declined for three quarters straight from third-quarter 2021 to first-quarter 2022.

According to Digitimes Research's statistics, global tablet shipments amounted to 32 million units in first-quarter 2022 in line with expectation. The volume was the lowest since the COVID-19 outbreak started in first-quarter 2020 as the tablet market sustained pressure from the slow season and rising inflation while no longer enjoying pandemic-driven work-from-home (WFH) and online learning demand.

According to DIGITIMES Research's surveys and analyses, first-quarter 2022 smartphone shipments to the China market fell 26.5% from the prior year level, coming short of the 70-million-unit mark amid weak market demand.

According to DIGITIMES Research's statistics and analyses, China-based smartphone brands shipped a total of 170 million phones worldwide in first-quarter 2022, down 12.9% from the prior quarter with the China market experiencing worsening decline and overseas markets entering slow season and undergoing seasonal adjustment after the year-end shopping season.

Fourth-quarter 2021 smartphone shipments to the China market amounted to 80.5 million units. The volume represented a 9.5% increase from the prior quarter, driven by inventory preparation demand for the high season.