Smartphone manufacturing is expected to grow by 6 percent quarter on quarter to 373 million units in Q3 2018, according to TrendForce.
The smartphone manufacturing increased 3 percent quarter on quarter to 352 million units in Q2 2018.
The growth in smartphone market will be flat this year or have marginal growth due to the weak momentum, approaching the market saturation.
The trade related tension between China and the US may lead to increasing costs for tech components resulting into higher prices for smartphones. Some smartphone brands would be forced to exit from the market faster due to the pressure from cash flow.
Samsung’s smartphone production grew marginally quarter on quarter but dropped 7 percent year on year to 74.4 million.
Samsung, the number one smartphone brand, is expected to produce no less than 70 million smartphones with a market share lower than 20 percent in Q3. Galaxy Note 9 will not trigger much demand as the series’ overall specifications are not much different from the previous generation.
Apple’s smartphone production volume was 41.9 million units in Q2, ranking after Huawei. Apple is expected to produce 43 million smartphones in Q3, achieving a quarter on quarter growth of 3 percent.
Despite Apple’s three new models to be launched this fall, the production of new iPhones is mainly scheduled in the fourth quarter, so the new series would make a limited contribution to Apple’s growth in the third quarter.
Huawei would overtake Apple to become the world’s second largest smartphone vendor for two consecutive quarters.
The production of iPhones would have a marginal growth less than 3 percent compared with 2017, while the tension in US-China trade would bring more uncertainties to the sales of iPhone.
LG, which produced 11.5 million smartphones in Q2, is expected to grow by 10 percent to 12.8 million units in Q3.
Sony produced about 2 million smartphones in the second quarter.
Nokia, which produced 5.2 million phones, will maintain the same number in Q3.
TrendForce said Huawei’s production volume increased 32 percent year on year to 44.35 million units in Q2. The production volume of Huawei will grow 5 percent quarter on quarter and 14 percent year on year.
Xiaomi produced 31.5 million units of smartphones in Q2. Xiaomi will achieve quarter on quarter growth of 17 percent in production volume in Q3.
OPPO produced 34.2 million units and Vivo produced 27.3 million units in the second quarter of 2018.
