Xiaomi, Vivo gained market share in Q1 2020 as worlwide shipments touched lowest levels since 2013

Samsung, Huawei and Apple, all saw their global smartphone shipments plummet as the coronavirus gained ground in Q1 2020.
 
The latest stats from the analytic firm Canalys show that global shipments fell 13 percent to 272 million units in Q1 2020.
 

Strong iPhone 11 sales helped Apple soften the blow

 
Before the coronavirus started affecting economic activites around the world, the smartphone industry was finally showing signs of recovery. However, now that a good many people have either been laid off or are faced with a pay cut, and others fear a similar fate, smartphone purchase has seem to taken the back seat.
 
Thus, most people are unlikely to upgrade unless their phone has broken or they have lost it.
 
Although Samsung managed to regain the top position which it had lost to Apple in Q4 2019 according to Canalys, its overall shipments declined during the period. In all, the company shipped 60 million handsets during the first quarter of the year, a dip of 17 percent when compared to the same period last year.
 
Huawei’s sales also decreased by 17 percent to 49 million units. The company was already under pressure because of the US ban, so, it is probably feeling a greater pinch than its competitors.
 
Apple fared comparatively better, with shipments sliding 8 percent to 37 million units. The performance can be attributed to the solid sales of the iPhone 11 during the beginning of the quarter.
 
Xiaomi and Vivo actually managed to grow their shipments in Q1. The former witnessed a 9 percent increase, with sales totaling 30 million units.
 
Vivo sold 24 million phones worldwide, up 3 percent from last year.
 
Q2 is expected to be worse than Q1, but thereafter, the situation is expected to improve. However, the economic effects of the pandemic will likely linger long after it ends, and thus it could be a while before the situation stabilizes completely.