Samsung is still the world's largest smartphone manufacturer, having kept that title even after going through the worst quarter in the mobile industry's history. Newly compiled data estimates the tech giant's Q1 shipments amounted to some 58.3 million units, 19% down compared to the same period last year. The decline barely made a dent in Samsung's overall market share, however. In other words, almost every other handset manufacturer experienced even worse drop-offs during the observed period.
The industry as a whole shrunk by approximately 55.6 million shipments over the first three months of the year. That negative trend almost perfectly correlates with Samsung's slump, being mere two points ahead.
The worst is yet to come for Samsung
According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung's now holding 21.2% of the world's smartphone market by shipments, with its share mostly stagnating year-over-year. Likewise, it's still followed by Huawei and Apple – in that order. While the global market has been on a decline for some time now, the freefall observed in the three-month period ending March 31st is primarily a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The health crisis forced most electronics manufacturers to temporarily suspend non-essential factory operations, causing a hit to production output and shipments even before the consumer demand for such products started dropping as people began losing jobs.
Earlier this week, Samsung reported its better-than-anticipated financials for the first quarter, suggesting it has yet to weather through the worst effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns. In order to do so, the company is turning its focus toward next-generation wireless technologies, hoping cheap 5G will soften the blow to its smartphone sales.
