China’s smartphone makers have grown their share of the Russian market as manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung suspend sales because of the Ukraine war.
Xiaomi, Realme and Honor accounted for some 42% of Russia’s smartphone sales in May 2022, according to data from mobile network MTS, climbing significantly from just 28% during May 2021.
Samsung lost its top spot, seeing its market share fall from 28% to just 14% over the same period. Apple’s market share slipped to 9% from 12%.
ALSO IN AF: China’s Tech Exports to Russia Plunge – Washington Post
That said, the increased share is of a now much smaller market: Overall smartphone sales in Russia plummeted some 26% year-on-year, MTS said, as Western sanctions and supply chain disruptions hit Russia’s consumer economy.
Apple and Samsung stopped new product sales in Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine in late February, so retailers have been drawing on existing stocks.
- Reuters, with editing by Neal McGrath
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