Analyst firm IDC said the Philippines smartphone market ended the year strong with 6.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2020, growing by 19% quarter on quarter and 6% year on year despite the economic onslaught brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This compares to an already impressive third-quarter rebound and accumulated a total of 18.9 million units for 2020, a 5% growth compared to last year.
“Despite the huge product push in 2020Q3 to fulfill pent-up demand, existing as well as relatively newer brands continued to drive shipments as retail expansion in provincial areas resumed and demand remained strong throughout the rest of the year, driven by the festive Christmas season in the country,” said Angela Jenny Medez, client devices market analyst at IDC Philippines.
Oppo took the lead by focusing on the low-end segment (P5,000<P10,000), which accounted for more than 80% of its total. The A12 drove shipments through exclusive pricing and bundling promos with Smart Communications. 5G shipments also gained momentum with the launching of the Reno 4Z, which was just under P20,000.
Realme dropped to the second spot, but more than doubled its shipments YoY with its best-selling C-series driving the volume. The company further expanded its channels by entering the postpaid market for the first time and introducing its first 5G smartphone, the X50 Pro.
Vivo secured the third spot thanks to its hero models Y11 and Y20i, while also increasing its focus on the mid-range (P10,000<P20,000) and mid-to-high-end (P20,000<P30,000) segments by launching the V20 series.
Transsion, with its three brands: Itel, Infinix, and the recently launched Tecno, upped its game in 2020 and landed at the fourth position in Q4 of 2020, gaining traction quickly by launching several affordable line-ups and aggressively expanding their offline store channels by opening new distribution points outside of Manila, quickly securing national coverage.
Samsung retained its’ fifth spot with an increased focus on the low-end (P5,000<P10,000). The Galaxy A11 and the newly launched Galaxy A21s both contributed almost 50% of total shipments. The A-series continued to maintain strong momentum in the market.
“The market’s 2020 performance is an indicator of how smartphones play an important role in people’s lives despite the Philippine economy plunging into recession. The smartphone industry continued to thrive as they proved to be a critical tool, not only as a means of communication, but also because the pandemic accelerated the adoption of the digital economy. Filipino consumers as well as local merchants embraced online shopping and the shift from cash to digital payments, paving the way for the country to catch up in the digital world,” said Medez.
