The Philippines smartphone market declined 16.7 percent in the first quarter this year over the previous quarter and 11 percent down versus same period last year, lowest in three years, with shipments reaching only 3.5 million units in the first three months this year, according to the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) worldwide mobile phone tracker. IDC attributed the decline to market conditions, which remained difficult as core inflation continued to rise through March 2023. “The last time shipments hit below 3.5 million records was back in 1Q20 when the pandemic just started and the first lockdown was implemented,” said Angela Medez, client devices senior market analyst at IDC Philippines. Based on the report, Transsion climbed to the top spot, ending realme’s two-year streak as top the ranking smartphone company in the Philippines. Transsion’s sub-brand, Tecno, grew 33.7 percent year on year and 107.8 percent quarter on quarter contributing more than 50 percent to the company’s total shipments, surpassing Infinix’s share. Tecno’s rise is attributable to its aggressive campaigns offering new models at different price points (with its Spark Go 2023 model leading its growth) as well as introducing its Phantom series, initiating the brand’s entry in the $500+ band. “Though it seems that the market has finally bottomed out and is on its road to recovery with inflation finally slowing down, IDC anticipates shipments to remain flat in 2023 as vendors will remain cautious with inflation still above comfortable levels,” Medez added.