Nov 2 (Reuters) - Smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm Inc QCOM.O forecast first-quarter revenue and profit below Wall Street estimates on Wednesday as its chip business was slammed by slowing demand for mobile phones in the face of surging prices globally. Decades-high inflation, the Ukraine war, COVID-19 lockdowns in China and fears of an economic slowdown have soured demand for personal electronics as consumers abandon discretionary spending on items such as mobile phones. That in turn led to a 12% drop in smartphone unit shipments in the third quarter ended September, according to Counterpoint Research.