Smartphones accounted for 41.9% of all mobile handset shipments to MEA in 2014

Smartphone shipments to the Middle East and Africa saw unprecedented year-on-year growth of 83 per cent in 2014, according to numbers released by International Data Corporation (IDC). Spurred by the increased availability of cheaper models and dual-SIM devices, the global advisory and consulting services firm announced that smartphones accounted for 41.9 per cent of all mobile handset shipments to the region in 2014, up from 27 per cent in 2013, with the overall handset market expanding 19.6 per cent in volume year on year.

Feature phones have been hit hard by the increased availability of more affordable smartphones, with shipments down 4.5 per cent year-on-year in 2014. Indeed, smartphones priced under US$100 captured 20 per cent share of the MEA smartphone market in 2014, up from just five per cent in 2013.

Additionally, market share of smartphones in the US$100–200 price bracket increased eight percentage points in just one quarter, from 25 per cent in Q314 to 33 per cent in Q414. Meanwhile, smartphones priced in the higher-end US$250–500 bracket have seen their share of the overall market fall from 23 per cent in Q313 to 18 per cent in Q414

Although Samsung maintained its number-one position in MEA, its smartphone share fell from 51.5 per cent in 2013 to 43.8 per cent for 2014. Huawei and Apple followed in second and third place with shares of 8.9 per cent and 7.8 per cent, respectively. The same trend can be seen quarter-on-quarter, with Samsung’s share dropping 7.8 points from Q3 to Q4 2014, while Huawei and Apple saw their shares increase 5.1 points and 2.7 points, respectively, over the same period.

Like in other global markets, the MEA market witnessed a massive 58 per cent increase in the shipment of iOS devices in Q414 compared to Q314. Android shipments increased by only 3.8 per cent over the same period, while Blackberry OS continued its declining trend after a temporary increase in Q314.