Infinix saw 4 times Smartphone sales in Russia in 2023

Smartphone data reports from multiple sources within Russia show that Infinix saw four times smartphone sales and profits in Russia in 2023 while also recording the highest gains.

According to the report, Russia’s smartphone shipment in 2023, when compared to 2022, grew by 26% and 22% in profits. At the end of 2023, 30.7 million smartphones were sold for 681 billion rubles.

The Russian market witnessed a major switch from the pricier segment dominated by Apple and Samsung to the budget segment dominated by Chinese brands such as TECNO, Infinix, Xiaomi, and Realme. This further strengthened Chinese brands’ market share in the country.

Transsion Dominated the Russian Smartphone Market in 2023

Transsion, the company behind brands such as Infinix, TECNO, and itel, dominated the Russian market in 2023. Infinix and TECNO posted the highest gains in both unit sales and profits.

Infinix saw the highest gains in Russia, recording four times smartphone sales and breaking into the top 5 brands by the end of 2023. The brand also saw a 4.5 increase in profits.

Sister company TECNO also saw a 2.2-fold increase in smartphone sales, translating to over 4 million smartphone units sold. It also saw a 2.4-fold increase in profits and came second among the top brands that dominated the market.

Despite Transsion’s dominance, Xiaomi came out on top with 30% smartphone sales, which translates to over 9 million smartphone units. Third-place South Korean company Samsung saw its smartphone shipments to the Russian Federation decrease by 11%.

Wrapping up the top five is Apple, which now sits at number 5 after being overtaken by Infinix. Its smartphone shares fell from 14.3% to 8% in 2023.

Russian Smartphone sales by volumes in 2023:

1. Xiaomi –  30%
2. TECNO – 14%
3. Samsung – 11%
4. Infinix – 10%
5. Apple – 8%

According to analytical company CS Groups, the most popular Infinix smartphones in Russia were; NOTE 30, NOTE 30i and HOT 30i, while TECNO’s most popular smartphones were; SPARK 10C and SPARK 10 Pro.

Chinese brands accounted for 79% of smartphone imports in Russia in 2023

Chinese smartphone brands accounted for 79% of smartphone imports into the Russian Federation in 2023, and for the first time, Chinese brands occupied almost the top 10 best-selling smartphones in Russia.

Redmi, a sub-brand of Xiaomi, accounted for seven devices in Russia’s top 10 most popular smartphone models.

Most Popular Smartphone Models in Russia in 2023

1. Redmi 9A 32 GB
2. Redmi A2 PLUS 64 GB
3. Redmi 12C 128 GB
4. Redmi NOTE 12 128 GB
5. TECNO SPARK 10C 64 GB
6. Redmi 12C 64 GB
7. Redmi NOTE 12 128 GB
8. Infinix HOT 30i 128 GB
9. iPhone 13 128 GB
10. Redmi 10C 128 GB

How Chinese Brands Managed to Dominate the Russian Market in 2023

Several factors contributed to the massive switch to Chinese products in the Russian market.

• Western Sanctions: The demand for Western products, such as the iPhone, fell due to Western sanctions, which shut down some of the iPhone’s functionalities. Demand for the iPhone fell immediately.
• Pent-up demand: Data analysed from PAO MTS revealed that pent-up demand was a major factor influencing the high sales. Several economic factors that followed after COVID-19 made many buyers postpone the purchase of smartphones in the past two years, which in turn allowed retailers to rebuild supply chains and ensure continuous marketing activity
• Fear of Hacking: The FSB, in early 2023, accused the NSA and Apple of infecting smartphones belonging to Russians with malicious software to monitor its citizens. This made many Russians ditch tech products from the United States and other “unfriendly countries“. Also, many Russian enterprises and departments banned employees from using the iPhone for official purposes.
• Value for money: Unlike offerings from Samsung, Apple, Google, and other companies. Chinese brands offer smartphones of similar capabilty for less money. Infinx, for example, broke into the top 5 Russian brands of 2023 with smartphone offerings for <$200.
• New Brands: In 2023, many Russians were eager to try out something new, and so, the demand for a new brand to replace their current Western phone
• Weak Rubble: A weak Russian currency meant consumers had to pay more for new smartphones. This caused buyers to switch from the upper price segment to the budget segment (10,000 rubles—30,000 rubles) dominated by Chinese brands.
• Special Offers: According to Sergey Uvarov, Head of Telecom Dept. at M.Videos-Eldoradp Group, phone brands with special promotional offers and as well the rapid expansion of offers in various price segments by Chinese brands also played a role in smartphone sales in the country.

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