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Smartphone shipments to the Philippines bounced back in the first quarter of the year amid the respite from strict COVID-19 lockdowns, according to market intelligence and advisory services company International Data Corporation (IDC).
IDC said shipments from January to March jumped 26.8 percent to 4.2 million units.
The first quarter of the year was “the most relaxed period since the pandemic began” although rising COVID-19 cases prompted the government to reimpose lockdowns in late March.
The figures pointed to the growing adoption of smartphones, with telco giants PLDT and Globe recording increased traffic in mobile internet during this period.
Telco startup Dito Telecommunity, which launched services accessible only by newer smartphone models, also made its official market debut last March 8.
“Despite the economy contracting in [the first quarter], the smartphone market continued to thrive, indicating a growth in demand for devices during the pandemic,” IDC Philippines market analyst Angela Jenny Medez said in a statement.
The recent spike in infections, however, dampened the outlook for succeeding quarters, she said.
“Although the smartphone market has proven to be resilient during the pandemic as people became more reliant on devices to keep them connected, we are anticipating [the second and third quarters of the year] to slow down due to rising COVID-19 cases and reimposed lockdowns, prompting vendors to extend their roadmaps,” Medez said.
According to IDC, Chinese handset makers Realme, Oppo, Transsion and Xiaomi dominated the market in the first quarter of the year.
Realme was the leader with a market share of 21.3 percent, followed by Oppo’s 15.3 percent, South Korean tech giant Samsung’s 14.5 percent, Transsion’s 14 percent and Xiaomi’s 10.9 percent.
The remaining 24 percent was comprised of other brands, data from IDC showed.