According to TrendForce, the “multiplicative effect” of the traditional off-season further weakened smartphone production performance in the first quarter of 2022 with global output only reaching 310 million units, a 12.8% decline quarter-over-quarter. However, Apple’s iPhone did well, notes the research group.
The iPhone 13 series continued to sell well and the new SE3 helped Apple’s production volume reach 60 million units in quarter one achieving “excellent performance” compared to the same period last year, with an annual growth of rate 11.1%, says TrendForce. The research group says this is “mainly due to cannibalizing Huawei’s former high-end model orders while making up for losses incurred from the suspension mobile phone sales in Russia in response to the Russia-Ukraine war.”
The Chinese lockdowns adversely affected the operation performance of foundries and the supply chain. Fortunately, Apple was in a transition period between new and old models during the second quarter of 2022 and, since the quarter normally posts the lowest production performance in the year, any collateral impact was relatively limited, says TrendForce.
“It is worth mentioning, the iPhone 14 series to be launched by Apple in 2H22 will feature four new models,” adds the research group. “Most notably and unlike prior offerings, only the latest processors are employed in the Pro series. In addition to taking into account terminal pricing strategy, this can also highlight differences in market positioning. As rising inflation changes consumer behavior, this type of product positioning is expected to attract more buyers.
According to TrendForce’s current observations, global smart phone production volume in quarter two of 2022 is forecast at approximately 309 million units, which is roughly on par with the first quarter of 2022 “but the lingering possibility of a subsequent downgrade this quarter cannot be ruled out.”
