Chinese smartphone brands are becoming a hit amongst the people in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, according to a new report by Canalys. This is obviously affecting Apple’s sales in these two regions.
In the Middle East, brands like Transsion, Xiaomi, and Honor made huge gains in 2024. Transsion, known for its budget-friendly phones, saw its sales grow by 9% to 8.3 million units. It now holds 17% of the market. Xiaomi, another popular brand, shipped 8.1 million units, a 33% increase from the previous year. It also has a 17% market share.
Among all the Chinese brands, Honor had the fastest growth. The brand, which started as part of Huawei, grew by 67% and shipped 3.2 million units. It expanded its presence in the UAE, Oman, and Qatar and opened seven new stores in the region.
Overall, the Middle East smartphone witnessed a growth of 14%, which was much faster than the global average. Samsung remained the top brand with a 30% market share, but this was lower than its 34% share in 2023. Apple also lost market share, dropping from 13% in 2023 to 11% in 2024.
Chinese brands are also becoming very popular in Southeast markets . Oppo became the top smartphone brand in the region for the first time. It got around 18% market share. Its shipments increased by 14% to 16.9 million units. Oppo was the best-selling brand in Thailand and Vietnam.
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