In March of this year, the smartphone market in Russia has undergone major changes. Thus, due to sanctions, the heavyweights Apple and Samsung left the official Russian retail, and the overall supply of smartphones has significantly decreased. Now, when most of the year is over, certain conclusions can be drawn. The reason was given by the report of Marvel Distribution for the third quarter of 2022, which was reviewed by the Kommersant publication. According to these data, during the reporting period, the average check for a device in Russia decreased by 15% and now stands at 19.3 thousand rubles. In general, on an annualized basis, Russian sales sank by 30% in units (up to 5.6 million) and by 43% in money (up to 107.8 billion rubles). Marvel Distribution notes that a smartphone for Russians is increasingly becoming a means of communication, rather than a prestigious gadget.

This is facilitated by the outflow of customers from the premium segment to the middle one, and this, in turn, is caused by the aforementioned departure from Samsung and Apple. The Parallel Import Program cannot fundamentally remedy this situation, since in the case of high-priced Galaxy, the brand’s regional policy becomes an obstacle, allowing smartphones activated outside the country of origin to be blocked, and Apple fans have difficulty using key services, especially Apple Pay.

Leadership in Russia is held by Xiaomi, which today occupies 41.3% of the market (including the POCO brand). It is followed by Realme (16.4%), Samsung (9.9%, up from 30%), Tecno (9.1%) and Apple (6%, up from 15%). Retailers add that the segment of 20-35 thousand rubles arouses the greatest interest among users. There are no forecasts for the final quarter and, accordingly, the holidays.

© Artur Luchkin. mobile phone

According to Kommersant