5G smartphone shipments jump 8% YoY across the Middle East and Africa in Q2 2026

Shipments of 5G smartphones increased by 8% year-on-year (YoY) across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) in the second quarter of 2026. The rise is driven by an inevitable surge in device prices amid chip shortages.

According to an industry report by Counterpoint Research, the surprising increase in 5G smartphone shipments comes from a drop in the sub-$250 budget device segment, which crashed 26% YoY. 

The reason for the shift was not positive at first. In fact, it’s not because MEA smartphone users suddenly want luxury devices. A global memory shortage crisis that began in 2025 is driving it. In light of the ongoing market shock, smartphone makers (OEMs) are allocating limited microchips and memory to higher-margin premium devices rather than entry-level phones.  

This sudden, unexpected shift led to a shortage of entry-level smartphones. With this, manufacturers are now reallocating the expensive and limited chips to the production of 5G smartphones.

“The divergence reflects both a low regional base in Q2 2025 and the rapid buildout of 5G networks and supporting policy across the region,” part of the report reads. 

At the bottom of the ladder are entry-level MEA consumers, who might likely get priced out of the market. It again raises concerns about affordability threats and comes at a time when Africa is experiencing a surge in smartphone adoption driven by its youthful population and internet penetration. 

However, entry-level consumers might be forced to rely on buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) or instalment plans offered by M-Kopa, MOGO, Easybuy and others. 

Also Read: Smartphone shipments dropped 7% YoY across the Middle East and Africa in Q1 2026.

5G smartphone shipments rising despite harsh Q2’26 for smartphone shipments

Overall smartphone shipments across the MEA region fell 26% YoY in Q2 2026, driven by continuous chip scarcity and a drop in production of the sub-$250 segment. 

Counterpoint Research Analyst Ahmad Shehab described the quarter as “the weakest quarter of the year” and “largely because of the memory crisis, as well as the shift in the Islamic calendar against the Gregorian calendar, which concentrated all H1 occasions into Q1.”

The development is also related to how the ongoing memory crisis is pushing OEMs to ration constrained supply toward higher-margin models: a way to cover rising costs of chips. 

Despite the drop, Samsung led the market with a 32% share compared to 22% in Q2 2025. This is attributed to how its A07 and A17 models performed well, alongside the recently launched S26 flagship lineup. Samsung is capturing the underserved MEA consumers at the expense of other OEMs. 

Aside from Samsung, Apple rose from 8% to 10%, attributed to continued demand for iPhone devices. Meanwhile, Tecno’s market share dropped from 17% to 15%, Infinix fell from 6% to 5%, and Xiaomi, as well, dropped from a market share of 10% to 12% YoY. 

“Transsion and Xiaomi were hit hardest, steeply impacting their market shares, because their volume is concentrated in exactly the entry-tier segment, which is the most exposed to the memory price crunch,” Shehab said.

For H2 2026, the ongoing trajectory is expected to continue, driven by projections that memory scarcity will run till the end of 2027 or the first half of 2028.