Smartphone shipments in the Philippines contracted year-on-year in Q1 due to tepid consumer demand, with IDC forecasting continued supply constraints could prevent vendors from hitting their full year targets.

IDC Philippines market analyst Angela Medez stated ongoing supply disruptions are expected to challenge vendors, but noted the market could see some improvements towards the end of the year.

“The silver lining could be the acceleration of 5G smartphones, as vendors focus on their 5G portfolio to drive growth.”

Shipments dropped 7.1 per cent to 3.9 million units: 5G smartphones accounted for nearly 20 per cent of the total.

Medez highlighted a 16.3 per cent drop in shipments of 4G Android devices, with models priced under $200 “impacted the most”.

Realme maintained top position with a 20.2 per cent market share, down 1.1 percentage points, with shipments falling 11.6 per cent. Transsion jumped from fourth to second with a 19.8 per cent share.

Samsung remained third, with a 16.8 per cent share up from 14.5 per cent in Q1 2021 driven by 7.6 per cent shipments growth, while Xiaomi was fourth with a 20.8 per cent increase in shipments boosting its share to 14.2 per cent from 10.9 per cent.

Oppo fell from second to fifth, as shipments declined 37 per cent and its share declined from 15.3 per cent to 11.2 per cent.