Samsung is the smartphone giant in the world but things may not the same in Africa anymore. According to a new report from research firm Counterpoint, the Android smartphone maker was bested by little known Chinese brand Tecno in 2020.
Per Counterpoint’s data, Transsion-owned Tecno was responsible for 18% of the total smartphone shipments in Africa last year. The research firm attributes Tecno’s rise to a strong second half of the year and its affordable smartphone portfolio. In contrast, Samsung could muster just 15% as it reportedly faced “supply chain disruptions” in the early half of 2020. Samsung isn’t the only big smartphone name coming under pressure in Africa.
ALSO READ: A closer look at the Samsung Galaxy s21 Ultra cameras
Huawei retained its fourth place on the continent with an 8% market share but fell further behind Tecno’s sister brand Itel (12%).
In a surprising move, Xiaomi is making great strides on the continent. Its shipment numbers grew by 126% in 2020 compared to 2019, doubling its market share to 4%. Oppo saw gains of 57% year over year, too, holding on to 4% of the market share ahead of Apple, HMD, and Realme.
Transsion’s premium brand Infinix also saw gains and held onto its fifth position in the market shipment hierarchy.
Affordable smartphone are a money maker in Africa
The major reason why Samsung is floundering in Africa is because four in five smartphones shipped in Africa fall below the UGX 740k ($200) price band per Counterpoint. Africa is a market heavily driven by affordability, and the players that can offer solid devices at lower price points are reaping the rewards.
There is no doubt that Tecno doesn’t offer cutting-edge or novel technologies in its products, its budget Spark and flagship Camon lines come in well under UGX 1.08m ($300). Samsung has the Galaxy A series which is the only affordable competitor at this price point. Huawei’s Y series has also been a solid performer, according to the report.
Samsung has a their job cut out for them to recover some market share in 2021. We are yet to see if it will still play second fiddle to Tecno going forward.
