realme has defied a general slump in shipments linked to high inflation and global supply chain disruptions to grow its share of smartphones entering Kenya and other African markets.
According to the research firm Canalysis, realme was the only brand that recorded a positive growth in the number of shipments in the first quarter of 2023 of the top five smartphone vendors in the continent.
From this report, realme’s shipment share grew by 11 percent to 3 percent while the rest recorded a drop of between 13- 42 percent over the Period. Transsion still holds the top spot with 48%, Samsung comes in first runners up with 30% and Xiaomi has 6%.
realme Kenya PR & Marketing Manager, Mildred Agoya said rising demand for entry-level smartphones in Kenya, Morocco, and Algeria were the biggest drivers of the growth.
“We continue to record increased popularity of smartphones under these different segments with the entry-level segment, especially from a youthful customer base, in these three countries. We are very proud of such a performance that reflects on our resolve to meet the dynamic needs of our customers even in difficult times, with innovative solutions and budget-friendly devices,” said Agoya.
Among realme’s popular models in the entry-level segment are the C-series- rich in high-end features including a Full HD screen, faster processing speed, bigger storage, and high quality compared to other brands in this segment. With the newly launched realme C55 being named “champion” of the segment among its competitors.
In 2022, realme announced it will over the next three years create an additional 15 markets with 1 million smartphone shipments under its ‘Market Cultivation’ strategy.
However, it will cut down on new smartphone launches to increase the shipment number of the most popular models.
“This has begun in earnest and we are beginning to see the impact on the market as seen in our first quarter numbers,” said Agoya.
