SHANGHAI: Shipments of smartphones within China rose 30.6% year-on-year to 32.7 million handsets in October, the China Academy of Information and Communications (CAICT) reported late on Nov 23.

The figures follow a large fall that began in the first half of the year, with the revival driven by the release of the latest models of Apple Inc’s iPhone, according to a research firm.

Shipment numbers were up from about 25 million in October 2020 and 20.8 million in September 2021, according to the CAICT, a state-backed think-tank.

Research firm Jefferies stated in a note published late on Tuesday that the surge stemmed from the release of the latest iPhone series, as well as Android players getting ready for a sales surge for the then-upcoming nationwide Singles’ Day sales period.

Apple launched the iPhone 13 in China in September.

Handset brands are currently experiencing production issues due to a global computer chip shortage.

A combination of factors including demand miscalculation, unexpected factory shutdowns and US-China tensions have prompted a number of automobile companies to report chip sourcing issues.

That shortage has since spread to many types of chips and all kinds of hardware, including smartphones.

Delayed upgrades from consumers had also caused sales to slow.

 - Reuters