According to DIGITIMES Research's statistics and analyses, China-based smartphone brands' combined shipments were up 11.2% sequentially and 18% on year in the fourth quarter of 2023 as overseas markets were in the strong season, demand from emerging markets also heated up during the time and sales in the China market were benefited by Singles' Day promotions.
However, industry players are conservative about their sales during the Lunar New Year holidays in first-quarter 2024. With overseas markets entering the slow season, China-based smartphone shipments are expected to decrease 18.5% sequentially in the quarter.
China-based smartphone vendors shipped a total of 181.2 million units in fourth-quarter 2023. Regarding the different market tiers, the top-3 brands – Xiaomi, Oppo, and Transsion – together experienced a sequential shipment growth weaker than that of the non-top-3 makers combined. As a result, the combined shipment share of the top-3 brands decreased to 58.3% compared to third-quarter 2023's 59.4%.