Smartphone sales in the Philippines made a good rebound for 2H 2020, with Q4 2020 delivering great sales at 6.5 million units, which translates to a 6% YoY growth–all of that despite the effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Wrapping up the year, OPPO is the top smartphone brand in the Philippines for 2020, with realme coming in at a very close second.
With the Q4 2020 results, OPPO overtakes realme for the top spot with 17.9% of the market share (vs 16.9% for realme). vivo falls down to third place, while Samsung remains at the fifth spot. OPPO managed to pull through in Q4 2020 with the availability of the 5G-ready Reno4 Z in the Philippines and impressive sales from its entry-level A12. realme, on the other hand, managed to inch close to OPPO thanks to the sales generated by the C-series and the availability of the X50 Pro 5G in the Philippines.
For Q4 2020, Transsion enters the top 5 spot, taking fourth place with a 15% market share. If the brand is not familiar to you, Transsion is the company that holds Itel, Tecno, and Infinix. Their meteoric rise from Q2 to Q4 of 2020 is due to the company releasing multiple entry-level phones from the three brands. These include the Hot 10, Note 7, Vision 1 Plus, A56 Pro, and Spark 5 Pro.
As for Q3 2020, the Philippines recorded 5.5 million units sold with a solid 33% YoY growth. This came at a period where the local government lifted the hard lockdown in June 2020, which allowed Filipinos to work and retail stores to open. Unlike with Q4 2020, realme was the dominant brand for Q3 2020 with 25.4% of the market share. realme’s dominance during Q3 2020 is with the entry of the C-series trio that comprised of the C11, C12, and C15.
IDC’s data on the top smartphone brand in the Philippines 2020 reveals that consumers are consistent with their preferred brands and that smartphones are vital for Filipinos. “Not only as a means of communication but also because the pandemic accelerated the adoption of the digital economy,” IDC Philippines Client Devices Market analyst Angela Jenny Medez said, adding that the shift to digital payments and online shopping help in maintaining overall smartphone sales in the Philippines.
