#COVID-19 can’t put a dent in Apple’s iPhone sales

That’s the takeaway from a new research report from Gartner, which found Apple’s flagship smartphone saw sales hold steady in the second quarter — even as rivals saw major declines and global smartphone sales were down more than 20 percent.

Apple moved 38.3 million iPhone units — including its iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro family as well as older models — in the second quarter, a figure representing just a 0.4 percent year-over-year drop.

Samsung, meanwhile, saw sales plummet 27 percent in the quarter, although it was still the No. 1 smartphone maker in the world with its 54.7 million units shipped.

Globally, worldwide sales of smartphones totaled 295 million in the quarter, representing a 20.4 percent drop from the same point last year. Gartner attributed much of the slowdown to major markets around the world facing “some form of shelter-in-place restrictions for most of the second quarter,” save for the Chinese market which has seen demand recover as the country rebounds from its pandemic.

It was the Chinese recovery that helped Apple stay strong during the quarter, however. Annette Zimmermann, research vice president at Gartner, noted that “the introduction of the new iPhone SE encouraged users of older phones to upgrade their smartphones.”

India, which has imposed severe lockdowns in an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19 within its borders, saw a 46 percent drop in sales during the quarter.

Shares of Apple, which recently reached a $2 trillion market cap, were up 1.3 percent Wednesday morning at $505.88. Apple is now worth $2.16 trillion.