What we sensed during the year 2022 has been confirmed by analysts from CounterPoint Research: sales of smartphones on the Old Continent have been catastrophic.
As we know, the global economy is doing badly and the smartphone is no longer successful. Smartphone manufacturers are not spared from this real slump. Apple’s iPhone 14s are a commercial failure, Samsung hasn’t sold as many devices as expected, and people generally renew their phones less often than usual. According to the analyst institute CounterPoint Research, this slowdown in consumption is especially visible in Europe.
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According to the researchers, on the Old Continent, “annual sales reached 176 million units in 2022, a decrease of 17% compared to 2021, and the lowest annual total since 2012”. They add : ” the European market contracted by 24% year-on-year to reach 45 million units in the fourth quarter of 2022, i.e. lowest fourth quarter total since fourth quarter 2011 “.
Smartphone sales in Europe fell for all manufacturers
Despite these poor numbers, the worst since 2012, some companies have had small victories. Apple, despite the flop of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, managed to regain the position of second best seller, at the expense of Xiaomi. Moreover, the latter suffered less from the effects of the crisis than its competitors. Its smartphone sales in the 4th quarter in Europe fell only 6%, when those ofOppo and Realme suffer a drop of 39% and 44% respectively.
Will the situation improve in 2023? Not according to Jan Stryjak, the director of CounterPoint Research. He says: “The current uncertain economic climate and geopolitical tensions will continue into 2023 and potentially worsen early on, with the cost of living still rising in winter. A few countries will fall into recession, so with weaker demand and a large stock of unsold goods, the first half of 2023 will be tough “.
Source: CounterPoint Research