May Laptop, Tablet Imports Grew 17.5%; Smartphones Up 13.4%

Unit growth in laptop and tablet imports to the U.S. continued at its torrid pace in May, the 14th full month of pandemic-induced demand for remote work and learning connectivity tools, according to Census data we accessed on Sunday through the International Trade Commission’s DataWeb tool. Vietnam raised its standing as a country of origin for notebook PCs and tablets, plus smartphones, which moved considerably more upmarket in May, likely due to the increasing mix of higher-priced 5G-enabled handsets.

U.S. importers sourced 12.06 million laptops and tablets from all countries in May under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule’s 8471.30.01 subheading, said DataWeb. Though volume was up only 2.2% sequentially from April, the increase was 17.5% from May 2020, the second full month of COVID-19 stay-at-home mandates in the U.S.

The well-documented demand for laptops and tablets has been strong and sustained since the health crisis began, and is evident in the trends. Only in February this year did monthly shipments dip below 10 million units for the first time during the pandemic's demand frenzy, reaching a peak of 15.69 million in October, the highest monthly volume since November 2014. Shipments are trending toward cheaper laptops and tablets as pandemic demand persists. The average laptop and tablet shipped here in May had $367.61 in customs value, nearly 8% lower than the monthly average in April, and down 17.7% from the May 2020 average of $446.79.

China remains by far the dominant source country for notebook PCs and tablet imports, generating nearly 93% of all HTS 8471.30.01 goods shipped to the U.S. in May, April and in May 2020, said DataWeb. The Chinese shipped 11.16 million units here in May, increasing their volume 2.7% from April and 17.6% year over year. The average Chinese device, at $368.35 in May, was 7.7% cheaper than in April and down nearly 19% from the May 2020 average of $452.49.

Vietnamese laptop and tablet import pricing trended in the opposite direction in May, said DataWeb. The average Vietnamese device, at $243.20 in May, though up only marginally from April, was 26.9% costlier than the $191.60 average in May a year earlier. Vietnam generated only about 5% of HTS 8471.30.01 imports in May, but grew its share by nearly a full point from a year earlier. It shipped slightly more than 611,000 units here in May, a 39.8% year-over-year increase.

U.S. importers sourced 14.19 million smartphones (HTS 8517.12.00) from all countries in May, about 6% fewer than in April, but up 13.4% from May 2020, said DataWeb. Unlike the downward pricing trends in notebook PCs and tablets, average customs values in smartphones are trending higher, suggesting an upmarket shift due to the increasing mix of 5G-enabled handsets commanding higher pricing per device. The average smartphone import arrived in May at $275.95. Though down marginally from April, it was 14.7% costlier than the May 2020 average of $240.56.

China generates nearly 80% of smartphone imports to the U.S., DataWeb shows. It shipped 11.08 million handsets here in May, 4.7% fewer than in April, but up 12.4% year over year. The average Chinese smartphone, $284.08 in May, was 10.7% costlier than in May 2020.

May’s upmarket trend in smartphones from Vietnam was sharper than it was for China, said DataWeb. The average Vietnamese device in May soared 30.9% from a year earlier to $218.43. Only $66 separated the average Vietnamese smartphone import from its higher-priced Chinese counterpart, down from the $90 price differential in May 2020. Vietnam generated 16.6% of all smartphone imports to the U.S. in May, up 2.1 points of share from a year earlier. U.S. importers sourced 2.36 million handsets from Vietnam in May, 30.4% more than the 1.81 million they procured a year earlier.