It is well-established that domestic mobile phone brands now command over 60% of the global smartphone market.

In the global rankings, an impressive eight out of the top ten brands hail from China. In essence, with the exception of Apple and Samsung, the smartphone landscape is predominantly Chinese.

These Chinese brands not only thrive in their home market but also extend their influence worldwide, proudly flying the flag of 'Made in China' across continents.

Recent sales data for African smartphones in 2024 reveals that Chinese brands are once again surging ahead in the African market, unchallenged. The leading brand has secured an astonishing 51% market share, leaving little room for competition.

As illustrated below, the data released by Canalys shows that the top five brands in Africa are TECNO, Samsung, Xiaomi, realme, and OPPO, collectively accounting for 90% of the market.

Overall, Chinese brands may account for approximately 80% of the entire African market.

Remarkably, TECNO alone holds 51% of the market, setting a new benchmark. With such a dominant market share, it is undeniably the "king of mobile phones in Africa".

While Samsung ranks second, its sales have declined by 22%, dropping from 26% to 19% compared to the previous year.

Xiaomi holds a 10% share, ranking third, and experiencing a 38% annual growth rate. The highest growth is seen in OPPO's sub-brand realme, with an 89% increase, while OPPO itself also grew by 10%.

Interestingly, some may be unaware that TECNO, despite being a Chinese brand, barely sells in the Chinese market, focusing instead on foreign markets. In fact, overseas sales of TECNO mobile phones may account for 100% of its total sales, making it the domestic mobile phone brand with the highest proportion of overseas sales.

Xiaomi, on the other hand, ranks second among domestic mobile phone brands in terms of overseas sales proportion, accounting for approximately 75%.

According to institutional data, although China is currently the largest mobile phone market globally, sales in the Chinese market actually only represent about 23% of the global mobile phone market, with the remaining 77% coming from the rest of the world.

The Chinese market is currently highly competitive and has largely reached saturation, making significant growth challenging. It is evident that domestic mobile phone brands must strive to expand overseas and cannot afford to overlook the 77% overseas market due to the 23% share in China.

Therefore, domestic mobile phone brands should indeed take cues from TECNO and Xiaomi, endeavoring to increase sales and market share in overseas mobile phone markets, thereby earning more revenue from international consumers. What are your thoughts on this?