We thought the numbers would be bad, but the table they sent us today of US smartphone sales figures for the second quarter of 2020 compared to the second quarter of 2019 is still shocking. The coronavirus pandemic really hit almost all of the major smartphone companies here, with companies like OnePlus, Motorola, and LG really struggling. Samsung and Apple also saw their numbers drop, but not as significantly.
The numbers were presented by Counterpoint after researching the sale of smartphones during the second quarter. Their numbers show huge sales successes from mid-March to mid-April, as all of the crashes occurred in the US During that time, where most retail stores were closed for in-person visits, the volume dropped. 50% compared to the previous year.
On a positive note, smartphone sales in May and June actually grew week after week. June also showed stronger sales than June 2019. There is a possibility that unique stimulus checks in the US helped there, and the fact that many retail stores opened across the country.
Leaving aside the industry’s overall sales figures, breaking down the sales of individual manufacturers paints a bad picture. Samsung is reported to have seen 38% fewer Galaxy S20 activations compared to the Galaxy S10 from the previous year. Overall, they were down 10% year-over-year, which, to be honest, it doesn’t seem so bad to know what the United States is still going through.
Apple’s numbers fell 23%, even with reportedly strong sales of the iPhone SE. LG was down 35%, OnePlus saw a 60% drop, and Motorola was down 62%.
Those numbers for OnePlus seem especially bad knowing that they released OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro during that time. The OnePlus 8 Pro was not only an incredibly better phone than Samsung’s Galaxy S20 on almost every level, but it partnered with Verizon and T-Mobile to sell the OnePlus 8. Of course, we know that the OnePlus 8 Pro was on Most of them have been out of stock in the US for some time, probably due to manufacturing delays due to the global pandemic. But still, seeing that big drop after adding Verizon isn’t good.
The falls of LG and Motorola are not surprising, as neither has sold a popular phone in years. Motorola was never going to sell many of its Edge + phones from a single vendor, even if we thought it was pretty solid. LG’s V60 was mostly more of the same as LG, a phone with stuff and no real sales pitch.
Will things change in the third quarter? That is hard to say. The U.S. is still open again, but COVID-19 is out of control again. There could be (and probably should be) closings again. It will be a tough break from 2020.
