During 2023, the average prices for smartphones, tablets, and laptops in Russia rose by roughly 10 to 15 percent, a trend reported by Kommersant based on retailer data. The market landscape showed that premium devices bore the steepest increases while entry-level models also moved upward in price. This shift reflects a combination of factors including changing import costs, currency dynamics, and evolving supply chains that affected consumer electronics across the board.
Among all devices, Apple smartphones led the price rise. Their average cost surged about 37 percent year over year, with January 2024 figures placing the typical price around one hundred thousand rubles. The ascent for Android smartphones followed, with price growth generally in the range of 10 to 18 percent. Laptops with displays ranging from 12 to 17 inches formed another major segment, registering an approximate 13 percent year-long increase in price. In the broader laptop category, smaller diagonal sizes saw around a 12.5 percent gain, while tablets with larger than 17 inches experienced about a 9 percent uptick in price over the same period.
Sales data released by Kommersant show notable shifts as well. From January 2023 to January 2024, roughly 2.6 million smartphones were sold in Russia, generating total revenue near 66 billion rubles. This represented a 13 percent rise in units and a 33 percent boost in revenue compared with the prior year. Laptop sales also grew, rising 12 percent in unit sales to about 3.6 million devices and climbing 11 percent in revenue to roughly 220 billion rubles. The tablet market demonstrated even stronger momentum, expanding by about 32 percent in units to 2.4 million devices and by approximately 30 percent in revenue, reaching 49.8 billion rubles. These figures illustrate a market where consumer demand maintained momentum even as price levels climbed across multiple product categories.
Several macroeconomic and logistical factors contributed to the price dynamics. In addition to shifts in the Central Bank’s interest rate and ongoing exchange rate fluctuations, supply chain bottlenecks and transportation challenges played a role in elevating costs for retailers and, ultimately, for shoppers. The interplay of these elements helped shape a year where technology remained a priority for many households despite higher price points and some product shortages in certain segments.
In related news, Xiaomi introduced the new Xiaomi 14 smartphone in Russia through a pre-order program priced at around 100 thousand rubles. This move highlighted how brands positioned premium devices in a market characterized by cautious consumer spending and fluctuating currency conditions. Overall, the 2023–2024 period underscored a consumer electronics sector in Russia that faced higher prices, yet retained strong interest in upgrading and expanding device capabilities across smartphones, tablets, and laptops.