SE Asia snaps smartphone shipment decline

A China-based rival to ChatGPT, called DeepSeek, sent shockwaves across the technology industry by reportedly becoming the most downloaded free app on Apple devices and operating with fewer resources than its US counterpart.

The Indian smartphone market grew by 4% to 151 million units in 2024 and became Apple’s fourth largest market as rival Samsung recorded decline. 

Global smartphone shipments are expected to rebound 3% to 1.2 billion units year-on-year in 2024, with emerging markets driving this growth according to analyst company Counterpoint Research.