Counterpoint Research has released a new study that shows global smartphone sales in October were 105.68 million units, down 11 percent from the same month in 2021.
In China, the world’s largest smartphone market, 20.42 million smartphones were sold in October, down 4 percent from a year earlier and 15 percent from a year earlier. Analysts note that most Chinese users will not be buying new phones before Nov. 11.
In contrast, the United States was the only country to see smartphone sales increase in October, with sales up 14 percent year-over-year to 14.45 million units. This phenomenon can be attributed to the year-end shopping season promotions launched by telecom companies.
Monthly smartphone sales in Europe rebounded for the second consecutive month, but also failed to escape the negative growth trend since 2021. According to the report, smartphone sales in Europe in October were 12.01 million units, down 20 percent from the same period in 2021.
Counterpoint noted that Apple was the only major smartphone vendor to achieve year-over-year sales growth in October. In particular, it achieved the highest market share of 25 percent in China, thus overtaking Samsung Electronics for the top spot in the global smartphone market.
Apple’s iPhone 14 series reportedly sold 26.09 million units in the two months following its launch, a figure similar to the iPhone 13 series, while the high-end Pro series accounted for 18.14 million units, or 70 percent, of sales.
Analysts noted that Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro were No. 1 and No. 2 in global sales in October, while the high-end iPhone 14 series led by the $800+ flagship phone sold a record share of sales.
While Samsung Electronics was overtaken by Apple, OPPO and Vivo sales also saw four consecutive months of declining sales, with share falling to its lowest level since May 2020.
