SHANGHAI (REUTERS) - Shipments of smartphones within China fell 31.8 per cent year-on-year to 14.5 million handsets in February, the China Academy of Information and Communications (CAICT) reported on Monday (March 21).

Shipments were down from about 21.3 million handsets in February 2021 and 32.4 million in January 2022, according to the CAICT, a state-backed think-tank.

Handset brands are currently experiencing production issues due to a global computer chip shortage.

A combination of factors including demand miscalculation, unexpected factory shutdowns and United States-China tensions have prompted a number of automobile companies to report chip sourcing issues.

That shortage has since spread to many types of chips and all kinds of hardware, including smartphones.

Delayed upgrades from consumers have also caused sales to slow in China.