SHANGHAI, July 27 Reuters Chinese smartphone sales in AprilJune fell 14.2 on year and volumes hit a decade low, Counterpoint Research said on Wednesday, as China struggles to recover from the impact of COVID19 lockdowns and the industry braces for more uncertainty.

Quarterly sales volumes were 12.6 lower than those seen in the first quarter of 2020, when the pandemic hit China and sales were the worst since the fourth quarter of 2012, when the iPhone 5 was introduced, according to Counterpoint.

The research firm does not give unit sales estimates.

Consumers have tightened their belts and business activity has slowed amid China39;s pursuit of its zeroCOVID strategy to stamp out infections. The commercial hub of Shanghai was locked down in AprilMay and strict pandemic curbs nationwide continue to weigh on consumer spending.

Sales for the top brands all shrank annually over the quarterly period, with the exception of Honor, which was formally spun out of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd HWT.UL in 2021.

Honor39;s share of the market surged to 18.3 from 7.7, making it the secondbest selling player, behind vivo. Sales, meanwhile, more than doubled.

Honor39;s coverage in lowertier cities, which saw fewer lockdowns, helpd the brand steer through the turbulence in Q2 2022, said Mengmeng Zhang, research analyst at Counterpoint.

Apple Inc ranked as the fourth topselling brand, with a market share of 15. The iPhone maker39;s quarterly sales volumes dropped 5.8, a smaller blow…