Canalys: China’s PC shipments fall 15% in 2022 to 48.5 million units, but Huawei shines with an 89% jump

By Greg Gao

(JW Insights) Mar 15 -- China’s PC shipments in 2022, including desktop, notebook and workstation, reached 48.5 million units, a decline of 15% from 2021, a recent report from Canalys shows.

The total PC shipments in China’s mainland ended 2022 on a low note, declining 26% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2022. Desktop (including desktop workstation) shipments dropped to 3.7 million units, a 34% decline, while the notebook shipment (including mobile workstations) was down 22% to 8.5 million units.

However, tablet shipments in the fourth quarter rose 39% to 7.5 million units, driven by new device launches by major vendors.

Chinese vendor Lenovo topped the shipment, followed by Dell and Hewlett-Packard, but all the three brands dropped by 15.5%, 21.5% and 16.6% respectively.

Last year, Chinese tech conglomerate Huawei's shipments of desktops and notebooks were the most impressive, with a year-on-year increase of 89.1%, ranking fifth. In the fourth quarter last year, Huawei even surpassed ASUS and ranked fourth, according to Canalys.

Canalys expects PC shipments to stabilize in 2023, with around 48.3 million shipments to maintain a similar shipment level to that in 2022. The commercial sector will bounce by 10% in 2023, thanks to the gradual recovery of the local economy and business activities. The consumer segment will still experience a 9% drop, as recovery is not expected until the fourth quarter. The market research firm expects desktops (including desktop workstations) to grow by 15% in 2023, to reach 17.3 million units, while notebooks (including mobile workstations) will decline by 7% to 30.9 million units.

Canalys Analyst Emma Xu said, "The vendor landscape in the notebook and tablet markets remains volatile as more smartphone vendors join the game. We expect the android tablet space to see even more intense competition as those new entrants are ambitious in snapping up the market to pave the road of their connective ecosystem strategies."

"The mid-term outlook of the PC market will hinge on the return of business and consumer confidence as the newly formed government vows to drive consumption and increase disposable income as a priority in 2023," added Xu. Canalys expects China's PC market to return to moderate growth in 2024 as PC (desktop, notebook and workstation) and tablet categories will grow by 7% and 1% over 2023. "Consumer awareness of the ‘connected device ecosystem’ will continue to rise, thanks to the marketing efforts of international and domestic vendors.