Australian smartphone market declined in the last year but Google bucked the trend and OPPO happy with Find N2 Flip sales

IDC has today released their Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, and unsurprisingly given the state of inflation, interested rates and in general, the Australian economy, the Australian smartphone market declined by 7.6% YoY on 1Q23.

1.6 million units were shipped for the quarter with shipments dropping across all segments except for the premium segment (US$1000+), driven mostly by the Galaxy S23 series and the iPhone 14 series.

“The combined pressure of macroeconomic uncertainty and the higher cost of living is making consumers rethink how often they should refresh their phones. Consumers are willing to hold on to their phones longer, even if they must spend more on a premium handset,” said Yash Gupta, Lead Analyst for Mobile Phone Research at IDC Australia.

Google had a big improvement in sales with an increase in shipments from 33,000 to 48,000 for 1Q23. Apple also had a great quarter, increasing their market share to 44.2% and actually also increasing shipments from 730,000 to 728,000.

OPPO, still Australia’s number 3 smartphone brand, with a 2022 market share of 5.1% had a market share of 5.4% for 1Q23.

Michael Tran, OPPO Australia Managing Director, reflected on the result, believing the data reflects warming market conditions and shift in strategy for OPPO “to a greater focus on the premium smartphone category.”

“It’s no secret that the industry has struggled over the past few years, but we’ve started to turn the corner despite the rising cost of living here in Australia. “Consumers are demanding more for their money and rightly so,” explains Tran. “This challenges us and the wider market to innovate, which is only ever a good thing for consumers.

Mr Tran stated that OPPO continues in its goal of offering premium options without the premium price tag.

“Our Q1 2023 performance was strong, particularly in the premium space where we’ve introduced new form factors such as the N2 Flip, which has generated a lot of interest. With the smartphone pipeline and broader ecosystem we plan to bring to market in H2, we’re confident our products will be received well by Aussie consumers,” added Tran.

OPPO state that the Find N2 Flip has exceeded even their own lofty expectations and expect to see even further growth in this foldable form factor in the coming years. One of the reasons the Find N2 Flip has been so successful is its ability to build on the form factor from other manufacturers and offer a near creaseless display when open and a big outer display.

Hopefully we will get to see all of OPPO’s flagship devices from the old school candy bar (Find X6 Pro) to their larger form factor foldable, the Find N2 Fold in Australia. Google’s Pixel Fold would also be nice too. Surely that will help our smartphone market.