Global smartphone industry, 1Q 2022

COVID-19 resurgences worldwide resulting in weakening demand in some markets and supply chain disruptions were the key drivers for the sequential shipment decline in the second half of 2021. The decline in first-quarter 2022 was due to a high base period in the corresponding period of 2021.

In terms of the whole-year 2022 outlook, with the rising inflation already dampening the global economy in the first half of the year, top-tier brands had reduced their orders for multiple components after the Lunar New Year, according to information from supply chain sources. DIGITIMES Research expects this to affect their shipment performance in the second and third quarters and thus has adjusted the forecast on the whole-year 2022 growth downward to 3.1%.

Taking inflation, geopolitical factors and deglobalization trends into consideration, DIGITIMES Research has lowered the forecast on global smartphone shipment growth over the next five years to 3-6%. In view of 5G phone shipments increasing 240 million units in 2021 from the 2020 level, DIGITIMES Research has adjusted the forecast upward, expecting 5G phone shipments to climb between 120-190 million units every year from 2022 to 2026.