According to research from Canalys, the final quarter of 2023 saw a 24% increase in smartphone shipments in the Middle East (excluding Turkey) compared to the same period the year before. Overall, 2023 brought an 11% increase in shipments compared to 2022, with a total of 42.5 million smartphones shipped.
Samsung remains the top vendor, though its dominance has waned in recent years. Transsion (Tecno, Infinix, iTel), Xiaomi (including Redmi and Poco), and Apple had similar volumes in Q4 and may see some changes in the rankings.
Canalys attributes the growth in shipments to end-of-season sales events such as the Dubai Shopping Festival, Black Friday, and Yellow Friday. The UAE showed a 22% growth, which, while healthy, was at the smaller end of the scale.
Xiaomi has been expanding its physical stores in the UAE, with its models gaining popularity. Iraq saw an 86% surge in shipments, driven by marketing campaigns from Transsion and Xiaomi. Honor’s Xa and Xb series and flagship models are capturing attention in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
While Motorola didn’t make the Top 5, the company saw a 49% growth in the region. Moto phones are available in several countries in the Middle East and Africa, with plans to expand to over 10 new ones.
Looking ahead, Canalys has a positive outlook for 2024. The analysts see the thriving tourism sector as a growth driver, noting that the introduction of a unified GCC tourist visa in 2024 or 2025 is expected to benefit various sectors, particularly tourism-related services, creating demand for the latest devices and technology.
