Chinese smartphone brands see rapid growth in Middle East, Southeast Asia

Transsion, Xiaomi and Honor topped the Middle East market last year, while Oppo took the No 1 spot in Southeast Asia for the first time

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In addition to topping the smartphone market across Southeast Asia last year, Oppo took the No 1 spot in Thailand and Vietnam. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:30pm, 18 Feb 2025

Chinese smartphone makers are gaining more ground in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, according to the latest figures by Canalys, as they ramped up expansion in emerging markets amid stiff competition at home.

In the Middle East, Chinese brands Transsion, Xiaomi and Honor all saw rapid growth in 2024 to take the second, third and fifth place in the region, excluding Turkey, according to a report by Canalys on Monday.

Transsion, a Shenzhen-based budget handset maker known for its dominance in Africa’s smartphone market, saw its shipments in the Middle East grow 9 per cent to 8.3 million units last year, taking a 17 per cent share of the market. It was slightly ahead of Beijing-based Xiaomi, whose shipments jumped 33 per cent in 2024 to 8.1 million units, with a similar 17 per cent share.

Honor, a Shenzhen-based spin-off brand from Huawei Technologies, saw the biggest gains with 67 per cent growth last year, shipping 3.2 million units, Canalys data showed.

The rapid growth of Honor, which expanded 30 per cent in the fourth quarter, was “fuelled by aggressive product launches and regional expansion, including seven new experience stores in the [United Arab Emirates] and entry into Oman and Qatar”, Canalys analyst Manish Pravinkumar said.

The Honor Magic 7 and Magic 7 Pro series phones were unveiled in October 2024. Photo: Weibo/ 科技小辛

The Middle East’s smartphone market as a whole grew by 14 per cent, double the pace of global shipments growth. Samsung Electronics remained the leading player in the region, shipping 14.1 million units to take 30 per cent of the market. That was down from 34 per cent in 2023, but its shipments in the region were flat.