Follow CGSP on Social Media

Listen to the CGSP Podcast

Chinese Brands Take a Hit as Smartphone Sales Slump in Mideast and African Countries

by Eric Olander

First-quarter smartphone shipments to countries in the Mideast and Africa slumped to their lowest level in seven years, with some of China’s top device makers all losing share. High inflation and weak local currencies are largely to blame for the downturn, according to analysts at the technology research firm Counterpoint.

While shipments are down compared to the same period last year, they are showing signs of rebounding compared to Q3 and Q4 last year, when shipments fell by 20% and 18% respectively.

Lead the Conversation on China

Subscribe Today to Get Full Access to The China-Global South Project

Check Out Everything You'll Get With Your Subscription

The China-Global South Daily Brief delivered to your inbox at 6AM Washington time

Full access to exclusive news and analysis from editors based in the Global South

Transcripts of CGSP’s twice-weekly podcasts

Students and teachers with a valid .edu email address are eligible for a 50% discount off monthly or yearly subscriptions. Email us to receive a discount code.

You Might Like

Transsion’s Nearly Two-Year Run of Uninterrupted Growth in Africa Comes to an End

Two years of the pandemic, supply chain disruptions and slowing economies in Africa finally caught up with Shenzhen-based African mobile phone giant Transsion. The company released its first-quarter results earlier this month that ...

How Transsion Hit the Mobile Jackpot in Africa

The Chinese mobile phone maker Transsion hasn’t sold a single phone in China. Yet it posted a $580 million profit last year, largely based on its success in Africa. Through its Itel, Tecno, ...

New Data Confirms China’s Transsion Holdings’ Near-Total Dominance of the African Phone Market

International Data Corporation released third-quarter African mobile phone market data that revealed near-total dominance by Shenzhen-based Transsion Holdings in both the smartphone and feature phone markets. Overall, African mobile phone growth remained solid ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

Subscribe