Xiaomi overtakes Samsung to rank first in the Russian online smartphone market in Q4 2020; Apple enters the top three for the first time and Huawei's share drops to 14.8% in fourth place, according to a new report from Counterpoint.
Total smartphone sales in Russia fell 11% year-on-year in Q4 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but online sales share rose from 34% in Q3 2020 to 35% in the current quarter.
5G smartphones have started to gain popularity in Russia's online channel, with shipments almost tripling in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter.
This growth was driven by the launch of the iPhone 12 series, the Honor 30, the Honor 30S, and the Xiaomi 10T. Apple gained the highest 5G smartphone market share with the iPhone 12 series.
"Samsung was the most popular smartphone brand in Russia in Q4 2020. However, Xiaomi led online smartphone sales, followed by Samsung and Apple," said Counterpoint analyst Soumen Mandal.
Thanks to the good performance of the iPhone 12 series and Huawei's supply shortage, Apple entered the top three online smartphone sales in Russia for the first time.
However, the lack of iPhone 12 Pro models and a higher average selling price meant that starting sales of the iPhone 12 series were not as good as those of the iPhone 11 series.
Realme rose to fifth place in terms of total shipments in the fourth quarter of 2020, while leading its parent company OPPO in terms of online channel sales.
"As flagship smartphone sales are increasing, Huawei is planning to introduce some flagship models along with some mid-range devices to provide more options for consumers. Moreover, Huawei is aiming to launch over 40 product categories, like desktop computers, smart glasses and monitors, in 2021 to diversify its business in Russia," Mandal said.
