Image: Getty Images/ For illustrative purposes
Smartphone shipments in the Middle East, excluding Turkey, rose 15 per cent year-on-year to 13.2 million units in Q2 2025, the highest quarterly volume since Q2 2019, research firm Canalys, now part of Omdia, has shared.
The rebound followed a slow first quarter and was driven by value-conscious buyers, festive spending and solid economic momentum, Canalys Principal Analyst Manish Pravinkumar said.
The region’s growth outpaced all others globally, Canalys research showed.
Samsung led the market with 4.5 million units shipped, up 39 per cent from a year earlier, helped by demand for its Galaxy A series 4G models and flagship S25 series.
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HONOR nearly doubled its shipments to 1.3 million units, boosted by retail expansion in the Gulf, AI-focused products and aggressive promotions.
Xiaomi shipped 2.3 million units, flat on the year, while TRANSSION grew 13 per cent to 2 million units. Apple was steady at 1.1 million units. Shipments by other brands fell 19 per cent to 1.9 million units.
AI a driving factor in popularity of phones
“AI needs to be the backbone in all vendors’ strategies in the Middle East, both to capture consumers’ interest, channel traction and business opportunities,” added Pravinkumar.
“The region is quickly becoming a global AI hub, led by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which are deeply integrating AI into their national strategies. This is resulting in growing consumer interest, making it a vital component to capture users through eye-catching features and targeted influencer campaigns, and to match technological infrastructure investments that are being built and expanded. To win, vendors must combine advanced AI features, such as real-time translation, hyper-personalised recommendations and instant content creation, with strong creator partnerships to drive engagement, shape consumer preferences and convert influence into loyalty in an increasingly competitive market,” he added.
Q2 2025 Middle East smartphone shipments (million units, excluding Turkey)
Here’s the table with Xiaomi’s note included at the bottom:
| Vendor | Q2 2025 Shipments (million) | Q2 2025 Market Share | Q2 2024 Shipments (million) | Q2 2024 Market Share | Annual Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung | 4.5 | 34% | 3.3 | 28% | 39% |
| Xiaomi | 2.3 | 17% | 2.3 | 20% | 1% |
| TRANSSION | 2.0 | 15% | 1.8 | 16% | 13% |
| HONOR | 1.3 | 10% | 0.7 | 6% | 95% |
| Apple | 1.1 | 8% | 1.1 | 10% | 1% |
| Others | 1.9 | 15% | 2.4 | 21% | -19% |
| Total | 13.2 | 100% | 11.5 | 100% | 15% |
Note: Xiaomi includes sub-brands Redmi and POCO. TRANSSION includes sub-brands Infinix, iTel and TECNO. Percentages may not add up to 100 per cent due to rounding.
Info courtesy: Canalys
