Epidemic to Cause 10.6% Global Decline in Q1 Smartphone Shipments, Says IDC

The coronavirus outbreak negates the previously expected “recovery” in global smartphone shipments this year, reported IDC Thursday. It’s forecasting a 2.3% decline in 2020 to 1.3 billion: The outbreak will “stress the short-term scenario,” shipments declining 10.6% in 2020's first half. The market will return to growth in 2021, “driven by accelerated 5G efforts,” it said. “Our current forecasts are aligned with the probable scenario, which ascribes a multi-quarter recovery for manufacturing and logistics given a more gradual return of Chinese workers to factories." For the Chinese “epicenter” of the outbreak, “we forecast the domestic market to drop by nearly 40% year over year for first quarter and even with a potential March recovery it will still be difficult to reach last year's levels," said IDC.