China’s 2022 smartphone sales plunge to lowest level in a decade

China’s smartphone sales endured a record fall in 2022, tumbling 13% to their lowest level in a decade as Covid controls and a slowing economy sapped consumer appetite, data from third-party research firms showed.

The total number of devices shipped was 286 million, down from 329 million in 2022. It was the lowest sales volume since 2013 and the first time since then that annual sales have dropped below 300 million, IDC said in a report.

Strict Covid-19 controls weighed heavily on the Chinese economy last year but Beijing started dismantling the restrictions in December, boosting consumption.