Canalys pointed to a raft of external factors as fuelling a 39 per cent year-on-year increase in Middle East smartphone shipments during Q1 (excluding Turkey), though its numbers make hard reading for Samsung and Apple. Canalys noted “economic and social reforms” played a part, along with “an expanding expatriate population, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council economies”. Saudi Arabia booked a gain of 54 per cent, largely credited to tourism, with shipments to the UAE up 19 per cent. Samsung retained top spot with shipments of 3.1 million units, down 17 per cent, while Apple’s number fell 14 per cent to 1.2 million. “On the other hand, Chinese OEMs continued to expand in the region,” Pravinkumar noted.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 22, 2024 11:57 UTC