The market share of the top five smartphone brands in Nigeria reached a record 84% during Q2 2019, according to the latest findings from Counterpoint’s Market Pulse service. Transsion Group’s brand Tecno led the market, while others in the top five included Samsung, itel, Infinix, and Huawei. Commenting on the findings, Anshika Jain, Research Analyst at Counterpoint Research, said, “The top five smartphone brands’ market share reached the highest-ever level during Q2 2019 in Nigeria. The market continues to be dominated by Tecno, Infinix, itel, and Samsung. Tecno’s market share of 33% during Q2 2019 was the highest ever. The brand continued to refresh its product portfolio and ran various promotions and campaigns during the quarter.” The performance of Transsion Group brands also helped the combine market share of Chinese brands reach a record high of 67% during Q2 2019.  Apart from Transsion’s performance, the entry of new players in the Nigerian smartphone market helped the overall performance of Chinese brands. Overall, smartphone sales in Nigeria during Q2 2019 declined in double digits year-on-year (YoY) as there were no notable festivals to drive sales volumes. Smartphone brands launched various individual promos, especially with cell phone networks to attract customers. Looking at the overall market, Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, said, “The US$50-US$99 price band was the largest segment in terms of volume capturing 46% share in Q2 2019, highlighting that Nigeria remains a very price-sensitive market due to low income and purchasing power. Going forward, we estimate this segment to capture more than half of the total smartphone market in H2 2019, with an increase in smartphone adoption rate.”

Exhibit 1: Nigeria Smartphone Market Share

Source: Counterpoint Research Market Pulse Q2 2019

Market Summary:

• Samsung captured the second spot in the Nigerian smartphone market in terms of market share (23%) and first position in terms of value share (41%), driven by its S10 series.
• itel’s share remained flat Multiple launches and marketing activities like sponsorship of various shows and musical concerts drove Infinix’s YoY growth of over 50%.
• Nokia was the fastest growing brand with 61% growth. The growth came from sales of Nokia 2.1, 3.1 Plus, and Nokia 6.1 Plus.
• US$50-US$99 segment was the largest in terms of volume (46%), indicating that the Nigerian market remains price sensitive. Tecno and Infinix dominate this segment.
• Samsung led the premium (over US$400) segment with its newly launched S10 series.
• Top 10 smartphones contribute to 30% of the total volume and 42% of the total value of the smartphone market. Samsung Galaxy A2 Core was the best-selling device in this period.

The comprehensive and in-depth Q2 2019 Market Pulse is available for subscribing clients. Please feel free to contact us at press(at)counterpointresearch.com for further questions regarding our in-depth latest research, insights or press inquiries. Analyst Contacts: Tarun Pathak   Anshika Jain  Counterpoint Research press(at)counterpointresearch.com You can also visit our Data Section (updated quarterly) to view smartphone market share Globally and from the USA, China and India.