Thailand’s Smartphone Market to Drop 21% in 2022 to 16.6 Million Units, IDC Says

BANGKOK, March 20, 2023 – According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, the Thai smartphone market will decline by 21% ending 2022 with 16.6 million shipments marking the lowest number of units sold in a year since 2014 .Shipments fell 23% year-on-year (YoY) or to 4.2 million units in 4Q22.

The lack of government stimulus campaigns in 2022 that increased smartphone usage last year, along with economic and inflationary pressures contributed to a sharp drop in shipments, especially in the entry-level smartphone segment (

The share of 5G smartphones increased to 35% in 2022 compared to 24% in 2021; however, the volume for 4G to 5G conversion is not comparable to 3G to 4G conversion due to a lack of compelling use cases for consumers and affordability concerns.

“IDC expects flat growth for the Thai smartphone market in 2023 due to continued inflationary concerns, rising interest rates and a lackluster growth forecast for the Thai economy. Overall consumer spending power is unlikely to pick up in the short term, further affecting the lower-end segment that comprises the majority of the smartphone market. At the premium-end, IDC expects continued growth as consumers are attracted to vendor offerings with superior user experience, better specifications and innovations,” said Apirat Ratanavichit, Market Analyst at IDC Thailand.

Key Highlights for 2022:

• 16.7 million mobile phones were shipped in 2022, recording a 22% annual decline. Feature phone shipments totaled 0.1 million, a decrease of 56% YoY

• There was a huge 17% YoY growth in the premium segment (>US$800). Apple is the dominant player in this segment with a 79% share, down slightly from 82% in 2021 while Samsung increased its share of the segment with the Galaxy S and Galaxy Fold series

• The low-end segment (US$100

• 5.7 million 5G smartphones shipped in 2022, up 14% compared to 2021

4Q22 Top 5 Smartphone Vendor Highlights

Samsung maintained its market lead for the sixth quarter in a row, but its share fell 11% quarter over quarter (QoQ) and 20% YoY. Samsung performed strongly in the premium segment with its Galaxy S/Foldable smartphones. The focus is on sell-out during the holiday season.​

Apple rose to second place with an increase of 30% QoQ but a YoY decrease of 7%. The new iPhone 14 range launched in Thailand in September 2022 compared to Q4 launches in previous years which led to stronger shipments in the third quarter of 2022. The iPhone 14 Pro range continues to perform well in the range of iPhone 14. The iPhone 11 continued to perform well as did the other n-1 and n-2 models when they received price cuts.

OPPO dropped to third place but saw an increase in sales of 18% QoQ and a slight decrease of 0.6% YoY. Most of OPPO’s shipments are in the low-end segment with the segment growing by 28% QoQ and 12% YoY. The main volume drivers are A16k, A17 and A57. OPPO ran campaigns to promote the sell-out, including offers at the retail level and for promoters.

vivo moved up to fourth place and had 36% QoQ growth and 18% YoY decline. Sales in the low-end segment rose 47% QoQ after a significant decline in previous quarters. Sales in the mid-range segment also rebounded 70% but fell 19% YoY. vivo continued to run marketing campaigns and launched several models in the low-end Y series, as well as introduced the IQOO brand in Thailand.

Xiaomi dropped to fifth place with a 3% QoQ decline as well as a 50% YoY decline. Telco sales increased significantly, as the Redmi 10 5G continued to be the flagship model in the affordable 5G segment. It saw a decline in sales of the low-end segment but rebounded in the ultra-low-end (

To know more about the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, please contact Apirat Ratanavichit at apirat.ratanavichit@idc.com. For media inquiries, please contact Fenny Tjandradinata at ftjandradinata@idc.com or Jane Yap at jqyap@idc.com.

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About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the leading global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local technology expertise, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in more than 110 countries. IDC’s analysis and insights help IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business goals. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDCAP and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights.

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