Samsung reportedly cuts its production of smartphones amid worldwide economic weakness
Warehouses in California are filling up with clothing, electronics, furniture, and other goods from across the Pacific Ocean. Samsung recently said that it expects flat smartphone sales or single-digit growth at best for the second half of this year. The Samsung factory in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam churns out 100 million phones a year. Two factories in that country are responsible for half of Sammy’s annual smartphone production.
In less than a week Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4
In its report, Reuters did note that it is possible that some of Samsung’s smartphone production could have been moved to other plants in India and/or South Korea. Nonetheless, Samsung has yet to make any job cuts in Vietnam even though other tech firms have started announcing layoffs. Those companies include software and hardware producer Microsoft, retailer Best Buy (heavy on tech sales), social media apps TikTok and Twitter, streaming content provider Netflix, online broker Robinhood, and audio chat app Clubhouse.
Reserve your place in line when it comes time to pre-order the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4
While these are very expensive phones that could be a hard sell with a global recession approaching, Samsung reportedly expects to ship a combined 10 million units of the two Galaxy Z foldable models.
Economic data points to an impending recession in the United States which is not good for smartphone sales
The U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which measures the value of goods and services produced in the states and purchased by the end user, has declined for two consecutive quarters which usually is a sign of an impending recession. Add to that the 150-point hike in short-term interest rates orchestrated by the Federal Reserve Board to slow inflation, and we could see even more declines in smartphone production ahead.
Higher inflation in the U.S. is also leaving Americans with less money to spend on expensive consumer electronic devices including smartphones. There are still enthusiasts who are able to include the purchase of a new phone in their budget. Others might have to hold on to their current phone or downgrade from a top-of-the-line model to a more affordable model. Interestingly, Samsung’s Galaxy A line might perform well under these conditions.
The mid-range Galaxy A phones have viable cameras, large screens, big batteries, and smaller price tags.
