EnU.S. mobile phone imports climbed 13.1% on a year earlier in January, the fastest rate of growth since August, Panjiva data shows. With 23.9 million units shipped that was also the best January since at least 2009. On a trailing three month basis that represents a 3.5% growth, vs. the 3.0% decline seen in the fourth quarter. Imports from China increased 16.4% in unit terms, and will have been led by Apple-supplier Foxconn as discussed in Panjiva research of March 15. An acceleration of shipments due to holiday timings and concerns about new tariffs can’t be ruled out as a driver of course.
Combined shipments from South Korea and Vietnam, reflecting the production bases of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, increased by just 4.8% in the month. That may improve later in the year, with Samsung due to launch its new S8 range in late March, CNET reports. The 65.5% drop in shipments from Taiwan to 218,000 units is notable as this is where Google’s Pixel phone is produced according to Forbes.
Source: Panjiva
Values per handset (based on total dollar value of imports) also increased. A 2.3% rise in January compared to a year earlier was led by a 10.8% increase in handsets from China. That may include the higher price point of the iPhone 7 as well as increased smartphone (as opposed to feature phone) shipments by other producers such as ZTE and Huawei. The seasonal bump seen in the data reflects the fall-release date of new iPhones. The average handset value from South Korea dropped 5.7% and from Vietnam by 37.5%, suggesting a lower average achieved price for Samsung and LG.
Source: Panjiva
