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SA smartphones down, Samsung leads Mobicel, Huawei
A 22% slump in smartphone shipments into the South African resulted mainly from the COVID-19 outbreak halting production in China. Nigeria and Egypt were not as severely affected.
Mild Decline in Egypt Smartphone Market in Q1 2020 Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Egypt’s smartphone market experienced one of the smallest declines in the whole Middle East and North Africa region in Q1 2020, according to the latest research conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC). The global technology and consulting services firm’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker shows that smartphone shipments to the country declined 6.3% quarter on quarter (QoQ) in Q1 2020 to total 2.82 million units, making up 75.0% of overall mobile phone shipments for the quarter. The global COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Egypt’s smartphone market in two phases — first through disruptions to supplies from China, and then through weakened consumer demand from the middle of March.
Looking at the vendor landscape, Oppo led the country’s smartphone market in terms of shipments in Q1 2020, followed closely by Samsung. Xiaomi and realme are focused on increasing the market shares they gained over the course of 2019. “The established Chinese vendors like Transsion (i.e., Infinix, Tecno, and Itel) and Huawei are challenged by supply-chain disruptions and an influx of more affordable models from the competition,” says Taher Abdel Hameed, a senior research analyst at IDC. “However, the fallout from COVID-19 will cause hardships even for the fast-growing brands throughout the remainder of 2020 and will force them to adjust their pricing and model portfolio strategies.”
Looking ahead, a steeper decline is forecast for Q2 2020, with most mobile phone stores operating at 50% capacity due to lockdown measures and curfews. “Despite a general slowdown in consumer demand and a slow second quarter, Egypt is the region’s best candidate to turn to a fast recovery track,” says Ramazan Yavuz, a senior research manager at IDC. “Overall, the Egyptian market is expected to have a positive economic outlook for 2020 and will heal fast from COVID-19 crisis.”
