Global smartphone sales fell in Q3'20

Coronavirus recovery meant growth was up compared to the second quarter

Smartphone makers sold 366 million units worldwide in Q3 2020, down 5.7 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2019, according to Gartner.

During the same period, vendors sold 401 million units of mobile phones (smartphones plus feature phones): a drop of 8.7 per cent year-over-year (YoY).

Samsung was the top smartphone seller in Q3, with a 22 per cent global marketshare. The company sold 80.6 million units, up 2.2 per cent YoY.

Huawei, with 14.1 per cent marketshare, was able to retain its number two spot. This Chinese company sold 51.9 million units, down 21.3 per cent compared to Q3 2019.

Xiaomi finally surpassed Apple to become the world's number three smartphone vendor for the first time. It sold 44.4 million units, up 34.9 per cent YoY. Xiaomi's marketshare in Q3 2020 was 12.1 per cent.

Apple, with 11.4 per cent marketshare, was the fourth largest smartphone seller. It sold 41.1 million units, down about 0.6 per cent YoY.

Oppo, another Chinese smartphone maker, held the number five spot. It sold 30.5 million units, with a marketshare of 8.2 per cent and a drop of 2.3 per cent compared to Q3 2019.

"Consumers are limiting their discretionary spend even as some lockdown conditions have started to improve," said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner.

"Global smartphone sales experienced moderate growth from the second quarter of 2020 to the third quarter. This was due to pent-up demand from previous quarters."

According to Gupta, parts of mature Asia/Pacific and Latin America are among the few markets showing early signs of recovery.

In India, Indonesia and Brazil, smartphone sales increased 9.3 per cent, 8.5 per cent, and 3.3 per cent respectively, according to Gartner.

The moderate growth from the second quarter is largely attributed to the re-opening of economies worldwide as Covid-19 restrictions are being gradually relaxed.

To some extent, sales benefitted from near-normal conditions in China, enabling vendors to produce more units and to fill in the gaps in the supply chain - also propping up Chinese makers like Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo.

According to IDC, Samsung significantly improved its position in India, the company's largest market, with about 40 per cent growth YoY. The South Korean company showed strong performance in the sub-$250 price segment, as well as in the channel, where Samsung's M series models did well.