Chinese handset makers capture 27% of Russian smartphone market

New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Not just India, China-based handset makers have captured over 25 per cent of the Russian smartphone market in the second quarter of 2017, a report said on Thursday.

Global smartphone manufacturers captured almost 60 per cent of smartphone market and grew 10 per cent sequentially, followed by Chinese brands with 27 per cent market share in Russia, market research firm Counterpoint said.

Russia smartphone shipments declined 12 per cent year-on-year (YoY) during the second quarter of 2017 but grew 2 per cent sequentially, the report added. Meanwhile, the share of local brands declined to single digits.

"Decline in smartphone segment was mostly due to seasonality and lack of offers from the retail side. However, premium segment almost doubled YoY. This has helped Apple to reach double-digit market share in Russian smartphone market and maintaining its lead over premium segment," said Tarun Pathak, Senior Analyst, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems, Counterpoint Research.

South Korean major Samsung led both overall and smartphone segment with a market share of 24 per cent and 37 per cent respectively during the second quarter of 2017.

Apple secured the second spot with 10 per cent market share. However, a majority of its shipments were still contributed by older models.

Xiaomi also expanded its footprints during this quarter through its official distributor "RDC".

The company is also planning to open offline stores in major cities of Russia in the coming year. Almost 25 per cent sales came from online channels in this quarter.