Phones are still one of the most popular pieces of technology in the planet and they sell by the hundreds of millions around the world.
In Africa, smartphone adoption is not as high as other continents, but companies still sell a ton of phones over here.
According to the latest IDC Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report, mobile phone market in Africa reached 55.8 million units in Q3 2019. Smartphones accounted for 40.6% of the loot while feature phones are still top dog with 59.4% of the shipment.
They also found out that shipments of smartphones in Africa grew 4% quarter on quarter in Q3 2019 to a total of 22.6 million units. They attribute this growth due to strong performance in Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt which are the biggest markets. They also attribute it to the influx of new models launched in those markets while the relative stability of the Nigerian Naira and the Egyptian Pound.
However, Transsion brands (TECNO, Infinix and Itel) still lead in the feature phone and smartphone space in Africa. Transsion brands have a combined smartphone market share of 36.2% while Samsung is next with 23.9%5 and Huawei follows with 11.4%. However in the feature phone space, Transsion has a bigger share with a combined 64% market share while Nokia is next in line with 10% market share.
IDC also noted that there has been an upsurge in the uptake of 4G devices. 73% of smartphone shipments are 4G devices. Also, 6 inch phones and above accounting for 41.7% of the shipments u
The interesting bit is how Samsung has been able to record “remarkable” year on year growth of smartphone sales. According to the report, Samsung was able to record a YoY growth of 61.4% in the $100-$200 segment in Q3 2019. This is thanks to their launch of their A series of devices and their well established brand.
Another interesting bit is the increase in shipments in the $100-$200 category. IDC found out that share of shipments rose from 31.4% in Q3 2018 to 39.8% in Q3 2019. This is thanks to the launch of new Samsung and Transsion models.
They also found out that 4G smartphone sales in Africa accounted for 73% of shipments which shows the maturation of the technology. Interesting enough, 6 inch smartphone sales in Africa now account for 41.7% of shipments, upt from 9% just a year ago.
Sadly, the sub $100 band has been declining in the recent quarters due to brands moving their portfolios towards larger screen sizes and 4G capabilities.
IDC expects that mobile phone sales in Africa will total 218.2 million units in 2019 as a whole with smartphone shipments totalling 91 million units. Feature phones still are king in Africa where IDC expect the shipments to remain flat at 127.2 million units in 2019.
