US Imported 17.49M Smartphones in October, 17.2% More Than in September
The impact of the U.S. iPhone 12 launch was evident in the Census Bureau’s smartphone import data trends for October, as accessed through the International Trade Commission’s DataWeb tool. Apple’s Oct. 23 release of its first 5G-enabled flagship phone helped send October smartphone unit and dollar import volume soaring. The average October smartphone import was more than a third costlier than in September, though all metrics were noticeably lower than those of a year earlier, as 2020 has been a trying year for the category.
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U.S. importers sourced 17.49 million smartphones from all countries in October, up 17.2% from September but down 22.5% from October 2019, said DataWeb. October dollar imports spiked 59.3% over September's to $5.21 billion but were 24.1% lower than a year earlier. October smartphone imports were worth $298.43 on average, 36.3% higher than in September but 1.9% below the October 2019 average.
Unit smartphone imports to the U.S. in the year’s first 10 months numbered 141.81 million handsets, 19.1% fewer than the 175.26 million smartphones shipped here in the same 2019 period, said DataWeb. January-to-October dollar import volume declined 21.4% to $35.39 billion, and the average 2020 smartphone import, $250.25, was 2.8% cheaper than its 2019 counterpart.
China was the obvious beneficiary of the October smartphone import surge, generating 83% share of all handsets shipped here in the month, compared with only 70.7% share in September, said DataWeb. Apple is known to be sourcing the iPhone 12 from Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory in China's Henan province, about 400 miles south of Beijing. The company, notoriously protective of its proprietary sourcing information, didn’t respond to questions.
U.S. importers sourced 14.51 million smartphones from China in October, 37.5% more than in September but 19.1% fewer than in October 2019, said DataWeb. The 104.15 million Chinese smartphones shipped here in the first 10 months were 73.4% of all handset imports to the U.S., slightly lower than its 74.3% share in the same 2019 period.
Chinese smartphone imports to the U.S. were worth $27.94 billion in the January-to-October period, down 25.5% from 2019's first 10 months, said DataWeb. But October dollar shipments of $4.55 billion from China were up 92% from September, though down 25.5% from October 2019. The average Chinese smartphone import skewed significantly more upmarket in October. Its average value of $313.14 was 39.4% higher than in September though 8.3% cheaper than in October 2019.
China’s October smartphone import spike took a clear toll on Vietnam, which contributed 13.8% of all handset shipments to the U.S. in the month, down from its 23.9% share in September, said DataWeb. Vietnamese unit import volume of 2.41 million smartphones declined 32.3% from September and was down 35.9% from October 2019.
Vietnam shipped just under 29 million smartphones to the U.S. in the year’s first 10 months, slightly more than a fifth (20.4%) of all handset imports to the U.S. in the January-to-October period, said DataWeb. The country’s significant stature in the smartphone category will bear watching as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative convenes a Section 301 investigative hearing Dec. 29 into allegations of Vietnamese currency manipulation to the detriment of U.S. commercial interests. The threat of possible tariffs on Vietnamese imports looms prominently over the proceeding. Smartphones from China technically remain exposed to the threat of List 4B Section 301 tariffs still on the books, but the Trump administration postponed the List 4B duties indefinitely after reaching the phase one trade deal with China nearly a year ago (see 2001160022).
Vietnamese smartphone dollar imports declined 24.5% in October from September to $543.18 million and were down 5.4% from a year earlier, said DataWeb. Vietnamese imports for the year were $5.76 billion, down 25.5% from 2019. The average smartphone import was worth $225.18, noticeably more premium-oriented than the $202.44 average in September and 47.6% costlier than the $152.51 average in October 2019.