- The global smartphone market saw a 1.5% year-over-year increase in shipments during Q1 2025
- Many manufacturers frontloaded shipments into the U.S. market
- The U.S. recorded a more than 5% increase in smartphone shipments during the quarter
The global smartphone market saw a 1.5% year-over-year increase in shipments during Q1 2025, totaling 304.9 million units, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC). This modest growth reflects strategic production shifts by smartphone vendors, anticipating policy changes tied to the ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions.
U.S. Market Surges Over 5%
Amid growing concern over potential new tariffs on Chinese imports, many manufacturers frontloaded shipments into the U.S. market. The result: the U.S. recorded a more than 5% increase in smartphone shipments during the quarter, well ahead of broader global trends.
Supply Chain Strategy Responds to Geopolitics
“Faced with heightened geopolitical uncertainty and the looming threat of substantial U.S. tariff hikes on goods imported from China, vendors strategically accelerated production schedules and pulled forward significant shipment volumes, particularly into the critical US market, during Q1 2025,” said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president, Client Devices, IDC. “This supply-side surge, aimed at mitigating potential cost increases and disruptions, effectively inflated Q1 shipment figures beyond levels anticipated based on underlying consumer demand trends alone.”
Shipments Outpace Consumer Demand
According to IDC, this spike in shipments was largely driven by supply-side tactics rather than organic consumer demand. Jeronimo noted that the Q1 bump likely frontloaded volume that would have otherwise been distributed more evenly across the first half of the year.
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