IDC reported smartphone shipments in Africa were up 12 per cent year-on-year in Q4 2023 to 19.8 million units, due in part to strong uptake of low-end Chinese brands across the region. In contrast, IDC stated Africa’s feature phone market shipments decreased 7.8 per cent over the same timeframe to total 20.9 million units. IDC noted Transsion devices continued to dominate Africa’s smartphone market through low-end devices that cost $100. For 2024, the research company forecast year over year growth in smartphone shipments of 2.8 per cent. “However, in Africa, the transition from feature phones will support smartphone growth in the short and medium term, while AI phones and 5G adoption will fuel Africa’s smartphones growth in the long term”.
