As Covid-19 continues to spread across the globe, people are buying fewer smartphones.
Despite our growing need to connect remotely, it looks like we’re not splashing out on mobile gadgets at the moment. New data from Strategy Analytics shows that smartphone sales were down by a staggering 39% in February, compared with the same period last year.
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Samsung has still managed to bag 18.2 million sales, giving it a hefty lead over Apple’s 10.2 million figure. But Xiaomi has only managed 6 million, Huawei 5.5 million, and Vivo’s smartphone sales dropped to just 3.6 million in February (via Sina Tech).
According to the new reports, it’s unlikely that this downward trend will be reversed in March, as coronavirus advances across both Europe and the US.
Smartphone production tumbled earlier this year when China-based factories were closed. Stores and factories have now reopened in the country, but fewer people are able to make purchases in brick and mortar phone shops elsewhere as the virus reaches other parts of the world.
In February, it became apparent that Apple was going to take a financial hit because of the supply disruption, and earlier this month there were reports that the company was facing a shortage of iPhones.
Last week, new restrictions appeared on the Apple website, limiting the amount of iPhones, iPads and MacBooks customers could buy. These restrictions appear to have recently now lifted, but it shows that the supply chain is still experiencing some hiccups.
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Despite the above, tech companies have continued to press ahead with new launches and product reveals – although most of this is now being done digitally, rather than at any in-person events.
Samsung recently started shipping the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, and Apple has unveiled a new iPad Pro 2020, MacBook Air 2020 and MacBook Pro 2020.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
