Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
New data from companies and analysts is indicating that smartphone sales are starting to take a hit as we predicted might be the case earlier this week.
Why it matters: Smartphones have been the growth engine of consumer electronics for more than a decade. Sales were already slowing before the coronavirus, but the industry now appears headed for a significant dip.
Driving the news:
- Apple said during its earnings report Thursday that iPhone sales should be comparatively weaker this quarter.
- Qualcomm said to expect smartphone shipments this quarter to be down about 30%, rather than roughly flat from a year ago, as it previously projected.
- IDC said first-quarter smartphone sales suffered their worst-ever year-over-year decline, with unit shipments falling nearly 12% from 2019.
- In a separate interim forecast, IDC now projects an 11% drop in smartphone revenue this year, larger than the 6% it was predicting a month ago — and an even sharper contrast with the 5% increase it originally projected for 2020.
Yes, but: It still looks like 5G phones will go mainstream this year. Qualcomm said it is not lowering its full-year forecast that between 175 million and 225 million 5G-capable phones will be sold in 2020.
Go deeper: Pandemic clouds smartphone sales as life goes immobile