According to recent analysis by Canalys, the African smartphone market continued its strong recovery in the third quarter of 2023, marking the second consecutive quarter of robust performance. Shipments in the region grew by 12% year-on-year, reaching 17.9 million units.
Transsion Holdings maintained its leadership position with a 9% year-on-year growth and a 48% market share. The company is strategically expanding its footprint, particularly in emerging markets, focusing on the sub-$100 price range. Samsung, on the other hand, faced challenges in the mid-to-high-end segment, resulting in a 13% decline in market share to 26%. Xiaomi and OPPO saw impressive recoveries with year-on-year growth rates of 100% and 259%, respectively. This success can be attributed to significant investments, especially in the Egyptian market, which positively contributed to their third-quarter performance. realme's flagship numeric series, notably the C series, known as the "hero series" of the brand, focused on innovative high-spec, low-cost pricing, achieving an impressive 11% growth.
Since its inception, Transsion has had a strong presence in Africa, establishing three major smartphone brands: TECNO, Infinix, and itel. By offering a combination of smartphones and feature phones, Transsion has maintained its position as the market leader in Africa, earning the title of the "African Phone King."
In recent years, Transsion has not only solidified its foothold in Africa with localized technology and services but has also actively expanded into low-end markets in Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
On December 17th, according to the Southeast Asian cross-border e-commerce platform's "Double Twelve" report, TECNO, an innovative technology brand under Transsion, achieved double championships in both sales revenue and sales volume in the smartphone category on Lazada Philippines and Shopee Philippines.
During Lazada's "Double Eleven" event, TECNO also ranked second in terms of smartphone category sales volume on the Philippines site. There's no doubt that Transsion's strategic expansion into Africa has yielded significant results.
Currently, emerging markets offer substantial economic growth, demographic dividends, and significant growth potential in terms of smartphone demand. Therefore, Transsion's smartphone business in the low-end market is expected to continue to grow in the future.