Initial impact of coronavirus on the smartphone industry is clear but there’s more to come

The research agency Counterpoint has shared some data with Reuters about how bad February was for the smartphone industry. The verdict? A 14% drop in sales globally. While that probably isn’t as bad as you expected, keep in mind that the data is for February when most of the world was still doing business as usual. If we look only at China, the drop there was a lot more significant -- 38% lower compared to February 2019.
Even if there is demand, smartphone manufacturers might be unable to meet it. Factories that assemble smartphones in China are starting to ramp up production but now part suppliers in other countries are temporarily closing down shop. Needless to say, if even one component is missing, complete units can’t be assembled and production grinds to a halt.