[Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] While the Middle East and Africa (MEA) smartphone market contracted by double digits in the second quarter of this year, the " SamsungElectronics(005930)" stood out.

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research on the 31st, smartphone shipments in the Middle East and Africa during the second quarter fell 10% year-over-year.

Despite the market contraction, SamsungElectronics posted growth. SamsungElectronics’ shipment share rose by 10 percentage points, from 22% in the second quarter of last year to 32% this year. This marks the largest increase among major manufacturers.

In contrast, Xiaomi’s share fell from 16% to 12%, Techno’s from 17% to 15%, and Infinix’s from 6% to 5%. Realme increased its share from 2% to 3%, and Apple’s rose from 8% to 10%.

SamsungElectronics saw strong sales of entry-level models such as the Galaxy A07 and A17, while its Galaxy S26 flagship series also contributed to the growth. According to Counterpoint’s analysis, the company expanded its market share by absorbing a significant portion of the demand left unmet due to reduced supply from competitors.

The overall market slump was driven by low-cost smartphones priced at $250 or less. Shipments in this price segment fell 26% year-over-year, marking the sharpest decline among all price segments.

Counterpoint cited the impact of memory shortages, which led manufacturers to prioritize allocating limited components to higher-end models with relatively higher margins. Transsion and Xiaomi, which have a high proportion of mid-to-low-end products, were hit relatively hard.

Shipments of 5G smartphones increased by 8% compared to the same period last year. This was driven by a low base effect from last year and the expansion of 5G network infrastructure in the Middle East and Africa. Apple and SamsungElectronics led the growth of the regional 5G market.

China’s Realme also increased its market share in the Middle East and Africa. Although global smartphone shipments fell 23% year-over-year, the company redirected inventory from other markets, such as India and China, to the Middle East and Africa to target local demand.

Counterpoint analyzed that the trend toward higher-priced devices in the Middle East and Africa market is largely driven by component supply constraints rather than expanding consumer demand. The firm explained that as the supply of entry-level products has decreased, the product mix has shifted toward relatively higher price points.

Ahmad Shehab, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, explained, “While the memory crisis has hit the market as a whole, its impact has not been uniform,” adding, “Transsion and Xiaomi have been hit the hardest because their shipments are concentrated in the low-end segment, which is vulnerable to memory price shocks.”