Canalys: Lenovo accounted for 37% of China’s PC market in Q1, stronger than Dell, HP, Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Honor tablet PC shipments top four

IT House reported on May 28 that in the first quarter of 2022, PC (desktop, notebook and workstation) shipments in China fell 1% to 11.7 million units, ending the growth of the past seven quarters.

Shipments of desktop computers (including desktop workstations) fell 11% annually to 3.9 million units in the first quarter of this year. Notebook PC (including mobile workstation) shipments remained strong, up 6% year over year to 7.7 million units. The Chinese tablet market suffered its fourth consecutive decline in the first quarter of 2022, with shipments falling 13% to 4.7 million units, mainly due to supply issues and weaker demand from consumers and businesses.

Emma Xu, an analyst at Canalys, said: “While the first quarter of 2022 remained relatively strong, China’s PC industry faces further challenges on both the supply and demand sides as the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown intensifies.” “The supply shortage of key components such as driver chips has persisted. By the first quarter, production and logistics conditions deteriorated markedly due to the lockdown of key cities such as Shanghai and Kunshan. At the same time, business and consumer activities were restricted amid a deteriorating economy, threatening domestic demand for PCs Weak consumer spending and constrained business demand, especially from SMEs, will challenge China’s PC makers for the rest of the year. Public sector procurement will also be curtailed as the government plans to tighten budgets this year. But the education sector will likely remain a bright spot, as the goal of closing socioeconomic disparities and improving vocational education programs will drive investment that favors the technology market. Finally, the competitive landscape for Chinese PC sellers will be more favorable for local brands. The government Efforts are being renewed to limit security concerns over the use of hardware and software developed by foreign entities. Suppliers such as Huawei and Tongfang will see unprecedented opportunities as core players in China’s ‘start-up’ industry, which is focused on developing domestic IT Innovation.”

IT House has learned that Lenovo’s shipments have basically not grown in Q1 2022, at 4.3 million units, and growth has been hindered by the weakness of the desktop computer business, which fell by 16%. Still, Lenovo has extended its huge lead in the Chinese market, which now holds 37 percent of the market. Dell came in second with 7% growth and 1.4 million units shipped on the back of its strong performance in business and gaming. HP was the only vendor to see a decline in shipments in the first quarter, shipping just under 1 million units, a 14% decline from the first quarter of 2021. ASUS came in fourth with 34% year-on-year growth, while Huawei overtook Acer in fifth place with a staggering 66% growth. Huawei has expanded its ambitions in the PC space by releasing a broader product portfolio, competitive pricing and increased marketing efforts.

Canalys believes that the Chinese tablet market has shifted in the first quarter of 2022 due to Xiaomi’s rapid rise. As the Mi tablet series received more attention, Xiaomi climbed to third place with 600,000 shipments after maintaining growth for three consecutive quarters. Apple and Huawei are still No. 1 and No. 2 in the Chinese tablet market, but both are facing supply shortages, causing sales to drop by 29% and 11%, respectively. Honor was fourth with a 2% year-on-year growth, while Lenovo was fifth with a 17% year-on-year decline.

Emma Xu: “The surge in tablet usage in China during the epidemic has paved the way for new suppliers to enter the market” “Tablet shipments reached a high point in 2020, with Apple the biggest beneficiary, while Huawei is the biggest beneficiary. There are limited user brand choices in a difficult time. While life is gradually returning to normal, the market is still losing momentum, but we are now seeing a similar situation as the recent coronavirus lockdown will lead to a rise in demand. The difference this time is that, Smartphone makers such as OPPO, vivo and realme have also launched their tablets. These companies enter the market at a time when the Chinese government is encouraging investment in digital education, not only in big cities but also in small towns and rural areas. The success of these new entrants will firmly depend on their ability to deliver a high-quality user experience that aligns with changing consumer demands, while also navigating a difficult supply chain environment.”