China dominated the global smart speaker market in the first quarter of 2019, with nearly 51% or 10.6 million units being shipped, following by the US which accounted for 24% of shipments of 5.0 million units, down from 44% in the final quarter of 2018, the analyst firm Canalys says.

Global smartphone shipments for the first quarter of 2019 showed a drop of 6.8% year-on-year, marking a sixth consecutive quarter of declines, the analyst firm Canalys says, adding that the total number of units shipped, 313.9 million, was the lowest in nearly five years.

Global adoption of smart speakers is forecast to grow by 82.4%, from 114 million units in 2018 to 207.9 million in 2019, the analyst firm Canalys says, adding that the US will keep its lead in smart speaker adoption with 42.2% of the installed base by the end of the year.