Kenya is among the noted African countries that recorded a reduction in smartphone shipments according to a report by Omdia.
According to the company, smartphone shipments in Kenya fell 16% due to rising retail prices which forced people to keep their smartphones for longer.
Kenya was not the only country that recorded decline in smartphone shipments. Egypt had a decline of 10% amid weaker consumer sentiment and supply chain disruptions. Algeria was even worse at 28% due to stricter import regulations, forex constraints and delays in full scale local manufacturing expansion.
However, we had African countries that recorded an increase in smartphone shipments in Q1 2026. South Africa was the strongest with 17% growth YoY due to resilience in replacement demand and higher value smartphone purchases. Nigeria grew 8% due to resilient demand for affordable 4G and 5G smartphones in the $200 – $299 segment. Morocco’s shipments grew by 6% due to import duty reduction from 17.5% to 2.5%.
Due to the economic situation in Africa, the ultra-low end smartphone segment is where we see the biggest sales, and it is under threat. “Africa’s ultra-affordable smartphone market is entering a structurally more challenging phase in 2026 as margin compression strains entry-tier device economics to a breaking point,” the company says in the post. They estimate a massive 28% contraction in 2026 due to memory inflation, elevation in supply chain costs and deepening purchasing power.
Kenya is like the other African countries where the sub-KES 15,000 segment is where we see the biggest sales. Thanks to the AI boom, memory prices have been soaring, and this affects the price of storage and RAM which are critical on phones.
