In the first quarter of 2023, Russia imported about 6.4 million smartphones. This figure came to light through a report from the GS Group’s analytical center, a copy of which was made available to the editors of this publication. The data sheds light not only on volumes but also on shifts within a rapidly changing global mobile market and its regional dynamics, including how Russia fits into the broader picture during that period.
According to the same report, Russia accounted for roughly 2.4% of the world’s smartphone market by the end of the first quarter of 2023. That share represents a 0.1 percentage point increase from the previous year, signaling a degree of market resilience despite broader pricing pressures and macroeconomic conditions. Maintaining a 2.4% global share places Russia among the ten largest smartphone markets, a position that matters for global brands looking to balance supply, pricing strategy, and channel partnerships across the North American and European regions as well.
At the start of 2023, Xiaomi led as the top smartphone supplier to Russia, moving approximately 1.3 million devices in January through March. This volume translated into about 21% of the Russian market for that quarter. Other major players in the market included Samsung with a share near 14%, Honor at about 11.3%, Realme around 11%, and Apple just under 11%. These figures illustrate a diversified vendor landscape in Russia, where both longstanding Android brands and a growing appeal for Apple devices coexist, influencing consumer choices and retailer inventories across retailers, e-commerce platforms, and carrier channels in North America and Canada as well.
Even as overall market share shifted, Samsung held the highest count of active smartphones in use within Russia, with an active fleet totaling around 31 million devices. Xiaomi followed in second place with an estimated 24.8 million devices in use. This distinction between shipment share and active installed base underscores the difference between what brands sell and what customers continue to use over time, a nuance that matters for regional strategy, service networks, and after-sales support across global markets including North America and the United States.
Previously, it was reported that the retail price of Apple’s flagship iPhone 14 Pro in Russia had fallen by about 12%. This price movement, in a market characterized by currency fluctuations and import dynamics, reflects how flagship devices respond to both domestic market conditions and the pricing decisions of international brands that operate through regional distributors and networks. For buyers and analysts in North America and Canada, such price trends can signal broader consumer pricing patterns, the impact of currency shifts on import costs, and the competitive position of premium products amid varying macroeconomic environments across major markets.