New data released by IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker reveals a noteworthy turnaround in Africa’s smartphone market, with shipments experiencing a robust year-on-year (YoY) growth of 7.6 percent in Q2 2023, totaling an impressive 19.6 million units. This growth marks a significant departure from seven consecutive quarters of YoY decline in the market.
Among Africa’s largest smartphone markets, South Africa and Egypt emerged as frontrunners in Q2 2023, both witnessing remarkable YoY shipment growth. Conversely, Nigeria, although showing growth from the previous quarter, experienced a decline in YoY shipments.
Taher Abdel-Hameed, a senior research analyst at IDC, explained the factors contributing to Egypt’s recovery, stating, “In Egypt, the market’s resurgence can be attributed to the relaxation of government restrictions on mobile phone imports and a proactive push towards local production. The Egyptian government’s incentivization of local assembly has spurred the launch of five mobile phone factories, with more brands planning to join in the near future. These initiatives have played a pivotal role in stimulating market recovery and momentum in Egypt.”
In South Africa, growth was fueled by a surge in shipments of entry-level devices from Samsung and various local brands, addressing budget constraints faced by consumers. In contrast, Nigeria grappled with economic sluggishness, high inflation rates, and unfavorable exchange rates, resulting in a decline in its smartphone market.
The Transsion brands, encompassing Tecno, Itel, and Infinix, dominated the smartphone shipment landscape across Africa in Q2 2023, securing the largest share. Their performance facilitated Transsion’s entry into the Top 5 worldwide vendors for the first time. Samsung secured the second position in Africa for Q2 2023, closely followed by Xiaomi in third place.
The African smartphone market is expected to continue its recovery into 2024. However, it’s essential to note that shipments might not surpass the high levels witnessed in the strong performance of 2021.
“Ongoing global economic challenges continue to impact the region, hindering a faster recovery. In the long run, the influx of affordable models from all brands and a quicker transition from feature phones to smartphones will drive growth in the market,” Ramazan Yavuz, a senior research manager at IDC, expressed optimism about the future of the African smartphone market, said.