The world's largest smartphone market, China, had a difficult 2022 with shipments declining 13.1% from 329 million handsets in 2021 to 286 million units last year. The data was released byon Sunday. The number of smartphones shipped in China last year was the lowest number since 2013 and it was the first time since that year that the total number of deliveries in the country was under 300 million phones.
During the fourth quarter of 2022, 72.92 million smartphones were shipped in China. That was a 12.6% year-over-year decline from the number of phones shipped during the last quarter of 2021. Despite losing production of the iPhone 14 Pro series models in November when Foxconn was forced to shut down the assembly line in Zhengzhou due to the COVID crackdown, Apple shipped more smartphones in China than any other company during the fourth quarter of 2022.was responsible for 20.
So which smartphone manufacturer had the most shipments in China for all of 2022? We won't keep you guessing; it was Vivo with a leading 18.6% share. The brand is owned by secretive Chinese firm BBK Electronics which also owns Oppo, Realme, OnePlus, and iQOO. Vivo was able to capture the top spot even though its shipments declined 25.1% year-over-year.Honor had a great 2022 with year-over-year shipments up a whopping 34.
During the fourth quarter of 2022, shipments of folding-screen products in China hit a record 1.1 million units. For the full year, the number of foldable devices shipped in the country was nearly 3.3 million units. That figure resulted in a year-over-year increase of 118% which was a higher figure than expected. Foldables made up 1.2% of smartphone shipments in China last year up from the .5% share such devices had in 2021.
Interestingly, IDC reports that vertically oriented foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 are more popular among female users than horizontally oriented foldables like the Oppo Find N2. That's because foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 are easier to hold for those with smaller hands.Get the most important news, reviews and deals in mobile tech delivered straight to your inbox