March Smartphone Shipments Likely to Remain Weak after February's Historic Fall, Says SA

Global smartphone shipments plummeted 38% year on year in February, the biggest fall in category history, said Strategy Analytics Friday. Shipments fell to 61.8 million, from 99.2 million in February 2019, it said. Smartphone demand “collapsed in Asia last month,” due to the COVID-19 outbreak, as some Asian factories were unable to manufacture handsets and many consumers were unable or unwilling to buy new devices in retail stores, said analyst Neil Mawston. Despite “tentative signs of recovery in China,” SA expects worldwide smartphone shipments to remain weak in March, with “hundreds of millions” of affluent consumers sidelined, said analyst Yiwen Wu. The industry will likely turn to online flash sales, “generous discounts” or smartwatch bundles to lift sales, Wu said.