Coronavirus Update: Global Smartphone Shipments Nose Dive Due To COVID-19 Pandemic

KEY POINTS

Global smartphone shipments saw a massive slow down in the month of February

There is a massive 38 percent drop 

The slow down will likely to continue in March 2020

The coronavirus massively impacted the global smartphone market. According to the latest research, global smartphone shipments plummeted and seen its biggest fall ever in the history of the smartphone market across the world.

Strategy Analytics conducted research and shared the year-on-year figures. "Global smartphone shipments tumbled a huge 38 percent annually from 99.2 million units in the month of Feb. 2019, to 61.8 million in Feb. 2020. Smartphone demand collapsed in Asia last month due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and this dragged down shipments across the world," Linda Sui, Director at Strategy Analytics, said via Business Wire.

Sui added that few South Asian factories were unable to manufacture the products, and several consumers were unwilling or unable to visit the retail stores to buy new smartphones.

Yiwen Wu, who is a senior analyst at Strategic Analytics, stated that although China is showing signs of recovery, the global smartphone shipments will continue to remain slow throughout Mar. 2020. Wu added that the smartphone industry would have to do more in order to bump up sales in the coming weeks. Wu suggested big discounts or online flash sales.

"February 2020 saw the biggest fall ever in the history of the worldwide smartphone market. Supply and demand of smartphones plunged in China, slumped across Asia, and slowed in the rest of the world. It is a period the smartphone industry will want to forge," Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said about the slump in shipments.

Meanwhile, Apple disregarded all speculations about missing the financial targets and existing coronavirus crisis. The tech giant released two new products in the market – a new iPad Pro 2020 and MacBook Air.

It will be interesting to see how these two products do in the current scenario. Coronavirus pandemic has shaken the world. Businesses are suffering, and people are dying because of this deadly virus.

The COVID-19 death toll has surpassed 11,500. More than 275,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported. However, 89,279 people have recovered from this illness.

Apple has temporarily closed all its stores outside of China because of coronavirus Photo: GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / SPENCER PLATT

Global smartphone shipments in 2020 to fall 10% from previous forecast: Strategy Analytics