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Mobile · APAC · Aug 2024

Inside the Asian Smartphone Market

🌏 Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia👥 Sample TW 1,196 · JP 1,582 · TH 406 · ID 1,296 · SG 198 · MY 1,010🗓 12–18 July 2024🎯 Internet users aged 18+

The smartphone market across Asia keeps expanding — but consumer confidence, spending intent and appetite for change vary sharply by country. We surveyed 5,688 internet users across six markets on four indices: industry direction, consumption, change and government control.

91%
Taiwan — most optimistic on direction
6
APAC markets compared
70%+
plan to spend more (most markets)
90%
Thailand & Indonesia want change

1. Industry direction — optimism, except Japan

Positive sentiment exceeds 79% in Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, peaking at 91% in Taiwan. Japan is the outlier: 48% neutral and 42% positive, reflecting a more reserved outlook.

Taiwan
91%
Indonesia
84%
Thailand
83%
Malaysia
81%
Singapore
79%
Japan
42%

2. Spending intent stays strong

Most markets expect to spend more on smartphones — over 70% positive in Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, and 64% in Singapore. Japan is cautious, with a 21% negative rate.

3. Appetite for change is high

Demand for change reaches 90% in Thailand and Indonesia, and exceeds 85% in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. Japan is more conservative at 43% positive (40% neutral).

Thailand
90%
Indonesia
90%
Taiwan
86%
Singapore
86%
Malaysia
85%
Japan
43%

What it means for brands

Three moves stand out: (1) move fast in high-intent markets like Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia; (2) invest in innovation and user experience where expectations for change are high; and (3) in cautious markets like Japan, target precisely with differentiated products and personalized marketing.

Research by
ShareParty Insight (SPI), with GMO Research and Z.com Engagement Lab
Survey date
12–18 July 2024
Methodology
Online survey
Audience
Internet users aged 18+
Markets
Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia
Sample
TW 1,196 · JP 1,582 · TH 406 · ID 1,296 · SG 198 · MY 1,010

This article is reproduced in ShareParty Insight’s research hub from our partner research archive. Charts shown are ShareParty renderings of the published figures.

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