TOKYO -- Smartphone growth appears to be losing steam with low sales of Apple's iPhone X and a slowdown in the key Chinese market, prompting chipmakers and other information technology suppliers to rethink their strategies and consider seeking a new growth driver.
Sino-American trade friction contributes to the malaise as well, with the U.S. imposing sanctions on major Chinese smartphone maker ZTE, whose larger compatriot Huawei Technologies faces a similar threat.
