Samsung continues lead in GCC smartphone market

  • Date: 04-Dec-2020
  • Source: The UAE News
  • Sector:Financial Markets
  • Country:GCC
  • Who else needs to know?

Samsung continues lead in GCC smartphone market

The UAE News report: The overall mobile phone market of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region experienced a very slight quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) decline of 0.2% in Q3 2020 to total 4.97 million units in Q3 2020, according to newly released research from International Data Corporation (IDC).

The firm's latest Quarterly Global Mobile Phone Tracker reveals that smartphone shipments declined 0.9% to 4.16 million units, while feature phone shipments increased 4.1% to total 0.8 million units. In terms of value, the smartphone market totaled $1.16 billion in Q3 2020, an 11.6% QoQ decline. However, the feature phone market's value grew 1.9% QoQ to reach $15.8 million..

Despite most countries easing lockdown measures in Q3 2020, the channels chose to take a cautious view, as consumer demand remained modest throughout the quarter. Consumers continued to prioritize spending on essentials while cutting back on discretionary spending in various categories, including mobile phones.

Saudi Arabia accounted for 52.6% of all smartphones shipped within the GCC region in Q3 2020. However, the Kingdom suffered an overall QoQ decline in shipments due to the tripling of VAT, which led to an increase in