The Philippine smartphone market grew by 6.1% year-over-year (YoY) in 2024, reaching nearly 18 million units, according to the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. Despite challenges such as a weakening peso and inclement weather, steady economic growth and an increase in entry-level smartphones helped drive sales.
Why it matters: More than half of all smartphone shipments in 2024 were priced below $100 (~PHP 5,900), indicating a strong demand for affordable devices. This shift also led to a decrease in the overall average selling price from $192 (~PHP 11,200) in 2023 to $179 (~PHP 10,500) in 2024.
Market Share Breakdown (2024 vs. 2023)
- Transsion (Infinix, Tecno, and Itel) maintained its lead with a 37.3% market share, up from 34.1% in 2023, showing a 15.8% YoY growth.
- realme ranked second with 13.3% market share, a decline from 15.9% in 2023, marking a -11.5% YoY drop.
- vivo held 11.0% market share, slightly down from 11.3% in 2023, but still showing a 3.9% YoY increase.
- Xiaomi also captured 11.0% market share, up from 9.7% in 2023, experiencing the highest YoY growth at 19.8%.
- OPPO fell to 10.1% market share, from 12.2% in 2023, marking a -12.6% YoY decline.
- Other brands collectively made up 17.4% of the market, growing from 16.7% in 2023.
Key Trends
- Transsion’s dominance: The brand shipped over 4.8 million units in the sub-$100 segment, driven by Infinix’s Smart series and Tecno’s Spark Go series.
- Market slowdown in Q4 2024: The last quarter recorded an 11.8% decline due to early vendor launches in the previous quarter. However, the holiday season still pushed nearly 5 million units in Q4, making it the strongest quarter for smartphone sales.
According to Angela Medez, senior market analyst at IDC Philippines, the demand for budget smartphones in the Philippine Smartphone Market continues to grow, with vendors strategically launching more affordable models to attract Filipino consumers.
With Transsion maintaining its lead and Xiaomi experiencing significant growth, the competition among budget smartphone brands remains intense. Do you think these trends will continue in 2025?
