There were 17.9 million shipments made throughout the continent during the quarter, with Tecno Mobile’s parent company Transsion controlling 48% of the market.
“Strong resilience in demand and supply amid macroeconomic challenges,” according to Canalys senior consultant Manish Pravinkumar, who cited significant growth in Nigeria and Egypt as well as significant increases in South Africa despite swift currency devaluation. He also mentioned that import limitations had previously hindered the later.
The analyst forecasted “limited expansion” and single-digit growth in the upcoming year, citing challenges such as ongoing exchange rate fluctuations, “increased import taxes,” and government programs encouraging domestic production that might result in price increases.
“However, the provision of financing plans for devices by operators and channel partners has the potential to greatly improve accessibility and increase the rate of adoption,” he continued.
Beginning-level acceleration
Regarding vendors, Transsion—which also owns Tecno and owns Infinix and iTel—was said to have benefited from growing its presence and concentrating on sub-$100 devices. With a 9% yearly increase to 8.6 million units, the company maintained its top spot in the sales rankings.
Despite a 13% decline from the previous year, Samsung maintained its second-place ranking with 4.6 million. Here, driving volume was attributed to the A-Series of the massive smartphone manufacturer. Realme, Xiaomi, and Oppo, in that order, rounded out the top five.
Pravinkumar supported a higher average selling price and pointed out that the market leader in Africa had increased sales by using device financing.
Xiaomi and Honor, who weren’t in the top five, were given credit for “making significant impacts by introducing diverse products at accessible price points” in other places.
“Through strategic alliances, channel dynamics, and a shifting consumer landscape, Africa’s smartphone market narrative unfolds as a compelling story of overcoming challenges with resilience and capitalizing on opportunities,” he continued. In order to gain a key position in this expanding market, vendors need to be nimble and strategic in navigating these as the market changes.
