The MEA market topped new records in Q2, but Samsung failed to capitalize

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) market experienced record smartphone sales in the second quarter of the year, and Samsung continues leading the charge in front of its rivals. But while Samsung hasn't let go of its top spot in the MEA region in Q2, the company did lose a lot of ground to a few of its competitors who have made impressive gains.

Q2 was one of the best quarters for the MEA region in terms of smartphone sales. The market declined 3% quarter-on-quarter but grew a massive 35% year-on-year, shows a new market analysis published by Counterpoint Research.

Samsung maintained the lead but lost a 4% market share

Samsung kept a 16% market share in the MEA in terms of smartphone sales in Q2 2021, down from a 20% share recorded a year ago. At the same time, rivals including Xiaomi, Tecno, Itel, Infinix, Oppo, and Vivo have all gained significant ground during the same 3-month period, closing the gap with Samsung but ultimately failing to overtake the Korean tech giant.

Samsung was hit by production issues in Vietnam

Samsung's market performance in the MEA region in Q1 was a lot more positive thanks to the company's boosted market spendings at the beginning of the year. However, Samsung lost ground in Q2 as sales trended downwards due to production difficulties at its facilities in Vietnam.

What's worse is that market watchers expect Samsung to face even more production difficulties in Q3, which could lead to further losses in the MEA region.

Mihai Matei - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-A800

Mihai is a blogger and column writer at SamMobile. His first Samsung phone was an A800 which took a lot of beating, and a part of him still misses the novelty of the clamshell design. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy; listening to music, taking walks, and occasionally playing old(er) video games.

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