China’s smartphone market staged a comeback in 2023, with shipments rising and 5G models accounting for 83 per cent of the total, data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) showed.

Shipments increased 6.3 per cent year-on-year to 289 million units, compared with a 22.6 per cent decline in 2022.

The government agency reported 5G handsets grew 11.9 per cent to 240 million units.

Shipments of 5G models in 2022 fell 20 per cent. 

Domestic brands made up 80 per cent of total shipments in 2023. Samsung has only a small share, which means Apple accounted for the vast majority of non-domestic shipments, with about a 17 per cent share.

While China registered a turnaround in 2023, Canalys data showed global smartphone shipments fell 4 per cent to 1.1 billion units, though rose 8 per cent in Q4 2023 to 320 million units, ending seven consecutive quarters of decline.