Smartphone shipments in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region fell 11% year-over-year (YoY) and 3% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023 to reach the lowest Q1 shipment level since 2016, according to the latest research from Counterpoint Research.
Apple outperformed prevailing market trends. Its YoY iPhone shipments were up 35%. Apple now has 7% of the MEA smartphone market. That’s up from 5% in Q1 of 2022.
Despite the gloomy tone of MEA smartphone sales, there were early signs of stabilization towards the end of the quarter, according to Counterpoint Research. For instance, most smartphone makers saw encouraging sell-out numbers due to the Ramadan and Easter sales promotions. Most notably, this manifested at the top of the market, where Apple’s iPhone 14 series (particularly the higher-priced Pro and Pro Max models) has proven to be extremely popular.
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today