IDC: Japan's smartphone shipments in Q4 2022 were 8.5 million, down 16%

According to recent news, despite declining sales and a weak market, Apple continued to dominate Japan's smartphone market share throughout 2022.

The fourth quarter of 2022 was tough for Apple due to production issues with the iPhone 14 Pro, dragging down an otherwise positive year. However, new data shows that Apple has maintained its dominance in Japan despite the obstacles.

A report from IDC Japan breaks down smartphone shipments in Japan for the fourth quarter and throughout 2022. The data shows that Apple's iPhone continues to be the best-seller in the market, ahead of competitors such as Sharp, Samsung, and Sony.

Japanese Smartphone Q4 Smartphone

In the fourth quarter of 2022, smartphone shipments in Japan were 8.5 million, a decrease of 16% . Apple sold 51.9% of the devices, or a total of 4.41 million units, followed by Android manufacturers with 4.1 million units.

The smartphone market and combined shipments of both Android/iOS operating systems declined at a similar rate – around 16%.

Looking at the performance of conventional mobile phone suppliers (including smartphones and non-smartphones) in the fourth quarter, Apple ranked first with 51.2%. Sharp ranked second with 1.2 million units shipped (13.8% share), Samsung ranked third with 750,000 units shipped (8.7% share), FCNT ranked fourth with 730,000 units shipped (8.5% share), and Sony ranked fifth with 560,000 units shipped (6.5% share).

Regular mobile phones in Japan in 2022

In addition, the annual sales of conventional mobile phones (including smartphones and non-smartphones) in 2022 will be 34.3 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 8.1%. Among the top five manufacturers in terms of market share, Apple ranked first with 16.6 million units (48.4% share), followed by Sharp with 3.8 million units (11.1% share), and FCNT ranked third with 3.5 million units (10.3% share). Samsung ranked fourth with 3.1 million units (9.0% share), and Sony ranked fifth with 2.6 million units (7.5% share).

The report attributes Apple's continued success to smartphone promotions by carriers. The decline in iPhone sales this quarter is attributed to the weakening yen, global inflation and the end of retailers' iPhone sales events. In addition, except for some low-priced models, the Android system was affected by telecom operators adjusting their order volumes in anticipation of a near-term decline in demand.

A report by IDC market analyst Masafumi Ibe mentioned that difficulties in the smartphone supply chain are another factor. As 5G becomes a stable commodity element, major manufacturers need to find new technologies to drive sales.

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