With lockdown restrictions easing down during Q1 of 2021, the smartphone market in the Philippines grew annually by 26.2%. As for market share, realme took the top spot, garnering 21.3% of the market share. 

“The smartphone market continued to thrive, indicating a growth in demand for devices during the pandemic. Lockdown restrictions softened across the country for most of the first quarter and vaccinations started rolling out in March. This allowed more people to return to work and businesses to resume, therefore driving consumer spending and confidence,” IDC Philippines Device Market Analyst Angela Mendez said. 

Rounding up the top 5 brands in terms of market share include OPPO at 15.3%, Samsung at 14.5%, Transsion (Infinix, iTel, Tecno) at 14%, and Xiaomi at 10.9%.

Analyzing each smartphone brand’s performance for Q1 of 2021 in the Philippines market, realme emerged to the top as it doubled its shipments compared to last year, along with opening more stores outside of Metro Manila during the said period. As for OPPO, the brand managed to stay in second place, as its A15/A15s contributed significantly to its sales. The same can be said for the brand’s Reno5 series, which showed a solid performance in the mid-range segment. 

Samsung’s strong showing in third place was due to making 5G phones more available in the Philippines with the Galaxy S21 series, along with the Galaxy A series (like the Galaxy A12) being hot sellers for the Korean brand. Transsion, on the other hand, grabbed fourth place as Infinix, Itel, and Tecno are focused well on capturing the low-end segment–a crucial category for most Filipinos–while continuing its retail expansion outside of Metro Manila.

Xiaomi wraps up the top 5, as the brand has been heavily investing in leveraging its online presence and retail expansion, along with sub-brand POCO contributing significantly to its overall sales thanks to models like the POCO M3.