US smartphone shipments decline 19% in Q3 as users delay upgrade

San Francisco: The US smartphone shipments declined 19 per cent in Q3, as Samsung, Google and TCL saw steep declines of 26 per cent, 37 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively, in their shipments.

Motorola and Nokia HMD managed to increase their shipments by 31 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

Apple’s shipments were down 11 per cent compared to Q3 2022, part of which is attributable to the later launch date of the iPhone 15 series compared to the iPhone 14 series, which pushed some shipments into Q4 2023, according to Counterpoint Research.

“While upgrade rates were slightly up at the carriers when compared to last quarter, they remained much below their usual levels as consumers opted to hold on to their devices for longer instead of upgrading,” said research analyst Matthew Orf.

Foldables are a potential bright spot in the US smartphone market, with increasing number of Android foldables options.

“Samsung launched its Galaxy Z Flip and Fold 5 in August, while OnePlus launched its first foldable and Motorola launched the sub-$900 Motorola Raz 2023 in early Q4 2023,” said senior research analyst Maurice Klaehne.

Despite the carriers continuing to offer strong promotions through the quarter, upgrade rates at the carriers remained near record lows.

“We expect a seasonal rebound in upgrade rates during the fourth quarter, but they are likely to remain lower than in the same period last year. There is a large installed base of iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 users in the US that is likely to upgrade to the iPhone 15 series this year,” said research director Jeff Fieldhack.