However, smartphone sales started to decline with the emergence of the Covid-19 virus at the end of 2019, and this decline will continue until 2022, during which worldwide phone shipments recorded a 12% drop. , to 1.2 billion phones.
It looks like the downward trajectory of phone sales will continue in 2023 as data showed a drop in worldwide smartphone shipments of more than 13% to around 268 million smartphones in the first 3 months of 2023.
Markets in the Middle East region were not far from the decline in the global phone industry, as data from market research firm “Canalys” showed that smartphone shipments in the region, excluding Turkey, fell 3.5% to 8.8 million smartphones. during the first quarter of 2018. 2023, ending this decline in a 9-month growth streak in the Middle East telephone industry.
iPhone growing
In addition, according to Canalys, Korean Samsung is the company that achieved the most sales in the Middle East during the first quarter of 2023, with a number of shipments of 3.8 million smartphones, which allowed it control a 43% share of the market. market, but it recorded a decline of 5.3% on an annual basis.
In second place was the American company Apple, which was able to ship 1.3 million iPhones to the region, controlling a 15% market share, in the first three months of 2023, allowing the iPhone maker to achieve an annual growth rate of 35.4 percent.
In third place is the Chinese company Xiaomi, which has shipped one million smartphones in the region, with a market share of 11%, achieving a growth rate of 1.6%. market share of almost 11%. Recording a 35% decline on an annual basis, followed by “OPPO” in fifth place with a 4% market share, down 31.9% in the first quarter of 2023, while it shipped approximately 300,000 phones. during this period.
Control of Power Elements
Communications engineer Issa Saad El-Din said in an interview with “Sky News Arabia Economy” that Samsung’s control over smartphone sales in the Middle East region is understandable and depends on several strengths. consumers in the region trust this brand, which has become part of their daily life, pointing out that the Korean company targets all categories of users through its smartphones, as it has cheap, medium and high phones, and this is precisely what helps him to extend his control. in the regional market and even in the global market.
Saad El-Din adds that in light of the poor global economic situation and the shift in priorities of many consumers, the decline in the overall phone market and Samsung in particular is justified, as many people preferred to keep their old phones and postponing the process of upgrading to a newer version, pointing out that the incomprehensible question is What happened with Apple, despite the economic challenges facing consumer spending globally and in the region, its sales of phones saw growth knowing that the iPhone phones it launched in 2022 are considered high priced and didn’t offer anything new in terms of features.
According to Saad El-Din, as the smartphone industry prepares for a so-called difficult economic year in 2023, it seems that this rule does not apply to the iPhone, because the increase in sales of Apple phones does not make not just include the Middle East region, but the whole world.
The results of the American company’s activities showed that revenue from iPhone sales in the first three months of 2023 increased by 2% to $51.3 billion, indicating that there are many users in the world, especially in the Middle East, which have moved from the category of cheap and average phones to the leading category And the high price of the iPhone.
Saad El-Din believes that iPhone has succeeded in setting a new standard in the world of smart phones, because the price of the phone is high and the design is exquisite, but sales have not been affected, so the durability of the iPhone brand, in addition to the seamless integration it offers, with many services and products provided by Apple, such as the Apple Watch, “Air Pods” earphones, and many others, would make purchases very popular with teenagers and adults, pointing out that Apple has already succeeded in its unexpected marketing plan which aims to make users feel that their simple acquisition of an iPhone brings them added value. .
Apple and Samsung in the lead and other companies are growing
Saad El-Din pointed out that the future of smartphone sales in the Middle East region is still unclear in the face of adverse economic winds, pointing out that despite the expected difficulties, the long-term potential of the smartphone market in the region is strong, waiting for Samsung to maintain its market leadership. For a long time, Apple will successively grab the share of the Korean company, while brands such as Tecno, Infinix, Xiaomi and Oppo can establish their presence in the segment. mid and low end. specific phones.
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