Chinese brands secure over 70% of Russian smartphone market

Sales of Chinese smartphones in Russia stood at over 70% of the Russian market in the first quarter against nearly 50% last year.

This was reported by Reuters with reference to data from Russian online sellers, Ukrinform reports.

A sharp increase in the popularity of Chinese smartphones is seen in Russia after Samsung and Apple reduced sales in the country over the military invasion of Ukraine. Today, Chinese manufacturers Xiaomi and Realme occupy the top two positions in the market, while Apple and Samsung have fallen to third and fourth places, respectively, from the top and third positions in 2022.

Moscow is becoming increasingly dependent on Beijing, boosting circulation of the yuan in international trade, critically expanding the supply of energy to the PRC, and rapidly increasing sales of Chinese products due to the exit of Western businesses and brands from Russia.

According to Russian retailers, the demand for smartphone brands from China in quantitative terms increased by 42% compared to last year, with their total market share exceeding 70%.

Russia is trying to abandon Western technology and ban officials from using Western devices, including iPhones, believing they are vulnerable to Western intelligence penetration.

At the same time, the Kremlin actually legalized the smuggling of Western goods, allowing Russian companies to supply some products, including smartphones, without the permission of license holders as part of the so-called "parallel imports."

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with a member of the State Council of China, Minister of Defense Li Shanfu during the latter’s visit to Russia, praising the cooperation between the Russian Federation and China "along the lines of military agencies."