More than one-fifth of smartphone sales evaporate in China as pandemic grips Middle Kingdom

Huawei has emerged from China's COVID-19 ravaged smartphone sector in Q1 as the only handset maker to report a local sales bump - not a big one, but it's likely not complaining. That's quite a feat considering the Chinese market actually declined 22 per cent year-on-year, during those three months, according to number cruncher …

[anthonyhegedus]

That’s interesting because I was beginning to suspect that having a smartphone was de facto compulsory in China. You can’t actually get into places without the coronavirus app telling people you’re probably not infectious.

[doublelayer]

But that smartphone doesn't have to be a new one. You already basically had to have one for many services in the cities, so this is not really a driver of more smartphone purchases unless the battery on an old one keeps dying. Maybe it will sell more backup batteries, but probably not new phones.

[Jason Hindle]

Not necessarily surprising

Huawei’s high end models might actually selling quite well, to people who, like a lot of Reg readers, have the luxury of full pay/hours from home. And China’s tech sector is really embracing work from home for its knowledge workers. If only Japan (for its own sake - excuse the pun) would do the same.

[Ashto5]

Big Data Big Brother

From all of the press on China, it would seem that you do need a “smart” phone or “comrade on your shoulder” to live there.

Apple are in for a bumpy time, the price is too high for their devices and in the west people are going to be tightening there belts.

Apple may be a bite to expensive for most.

America and apple need to bring the manufacturing back home while they can, it’s hard to sell buy American when it’s made in China.