Samsung widens lead in a declining MEA smartphone market
The quarter was always expected to be weak, "largely because of the memory crisis.
The smartphone market in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) is contracting sharply, but new data from Counterpoint Research indicates that the downturn is altering the region’s competitive dynamics rather than stalling it. Samsung, Realme, and Apple all experienced growth in Q2 2026, despite a 10% year-on-year decline in overall shipments, pulling ahead of rivals grappling with component shortages and faltering entry-tier demand.
The MEA market contracted during a quarter with no sales-driving occasions, yet the decline was far from uniform. Several brands witnessed substantial drops, while Samsung, Realme, and Apple expanded significantly. Their gains were entirely derived from competitors losing market share. Counterpoint notes that "every unit Samsung gained came out of Infinix, Tecno, and Xiaomi's shares."
The region’s entry-level backbone weakened dramatically. The sub-$250 segment contracted by 26% year-on-year, marking the steepest decline among all price bands, as the global memory crisis compelled manufacturers to focus on higher-margin models. Analyst Ahmad Shehab stated that Q2 was anticipated to be weak, primarily due to the memory crisis and the shift in the Islamic calendar, which concentrated all H1 events into Q1.
Shehab further explained that the supply shock affected some brands more severely than others. "Transsion and Xiaomi were hit hardest, steeply impacting their market shares because their volume is concentrated in the entry-tier segment, which is most exposed to the memory price crunch."
This displacement resulted in openings. Samsung capitalized on underserved demand with robust performance from its A07 and A17 models, as well as its S26 flagship lineup. Realme also expanded by reallocating units from India to MEA instead of securing extra supply – a strategic shift that transformed geography into a lever in a constrained market.
5G shipments increased by 8% year-on-year, more than doubling the global growth rate of 1%. According to the report, this surge can be attributed to a low base and rapid network development. Counterpoint attributes this to Apple and Samsung, who drove most of the region’s 5G momentum. The data suggests that the market is being propelled upward the price curve not by consumer demand but by scarcity.
As Shehab pointed out, the uneven shock "hit the market hard, though unevenly," reshaping competition in a region historically defined by entry-level volume.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
