Smartphone Sales Tank in China as Coronavirus Dampens Demand

Smartphone Sales Tank in China as Coronavirus Dampens Demand
A customer touches an Apple's new iPhone 11 Pro Max after it went on sale at the Apple Store in Beijing, China, on Sept. 20, 2019. Jason Lee/Reuters
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SHANGHAI—Sales of smartphones in China tumbled by more than a third in January, government data showed on Feb. 24, in a sign of how the coronavirus outbreak is hurting consumer demand.

China started putting curbs on travel and asking residents to avoid public places in late January, just ahead of the Lunar New Year festival, a major gift-giving holiday.