The Chinese smartphone market is experiencing a rebound, going by the latest numbers coming from government data. The latest official data shows that China had shipped about 342.8 million smartphones to the domestic market in 2021, which indicates a 15.9% improvement from the previous year. The numbers show a strong performance given the large dip that occurred due to the pandemic. The current figure however falls below the pre-pandemic performance, but the outlook remains bright.

In 2020, the total shipments were about 296 million smartphones, which was a 20.4% decline from its 2019 high of about 372 million units. The data were pieced together from a government-backed think-tank, the China Academy of Information and Communications (CAICT). The aggregate numbers reveal a comeback for several Chinese brands that had suffered massive declines due to the pandemic and other extraneous factors. The global chip shortage, which persists, could also be a possible factor that could have slowed down the growth.

The Chinese smartphone market is a highly competitive one, with a large number of local brands taking a chunk of the market, and Apple, the only foreign brand with a significant presence in China’s domestic market. Apple has continued to record a strong showing in the Chinese domestic market including Hong Kong and Taiwan. The Chinese domestic smartphone market is on a rebound, and the projections are positive that it will reach and surpass the pre-pandemic performance in 2022.