China's Smartphone Market Was Relatively Flat in 4Q20

86.4 million smartphones were shipped in China in 4Q20, a relatively flat growth from a year ago, according to IDC.

Almost all of the top five vendors recorded a favorable growth with the exception being Huawei. Nevertheless, the 2020 market still saw a 11.2% decline year-on-year with 325.7 million shipments.

“Huawei’s market share dropped below the 30% mark for the first time since it encountered the US trade restrictions. The decline indicates a good opportunity for its competitors in the year ahead, but it’s also expected to intensify the competition,“ says Will Wong, Research Manager for Client Devices at IDC Asia/Pacific.

China shipped a total of 167.5 million 5G handsets in 2020, with 60.1 million in 4Q20 alone. In 2020, more than half of the smartphones were shipped with a 5G connectivity.