Smartphone shipments in China dropped 16.1 per cent year-on-year in the first half of the year, though 5G models looked to have regained momentum by the close of the period, government data showed.

Total smartphone shipments came in at 248.9 million units over the opening six months due to unspecified headwinds, information from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) revealed. Devices produced by domestic players accounted for 91 per cent of the sum.

The figures showed something of a recovery in 5G shipments in June, with the number up 12.2 per cent month-on-month to 17.5 million units. Because the models first went on sale in August 2019, annual comparisons are not yet available.

This left 5G models accounting for 61.2 per cent of total smartphone shipments in June.

But the proportion over the first half of the year was lower, with a total of 63.6 million 5G models shifted giving the category a 25.6 per cent share of the broader market.