China's smartphone shipments build on post-pandemic rebound in February

Manufacturing glitches and a lagging consumer economy marred China's smartphone sector as Covid-19 spread in early 2020, but the industry has largely recovered along with the broader economy. Chip shortage Despite the pandemic's retreat in China, handset brands now face production issues due to a global computer chip shortage. A confluence of factors including demand miscalculation, unexpected factory shut downs, and US-China tensions caused a number of automobile companies to report chip sourcing issues in late December. That shortage has since spread to many types of chips and all types of hardware, including smartphones. Handsets also hit In late February,…