This growth is especially noticeable in the products of big brands such as Apple, Samsung, Realme and Xiaomi.
The main driver of the price increase is the flagship models. For example, the iPhone 14 accounted for half of Apple’s imports to Russia.
The situation is similar for Samsung: suppliers are focusing on more expensive models, as the margins of the budget options are much lower.
Chinese brands such as Realme and Xiaomi are actively trying to fill the gap left by Samsung and bring mid-range and high-end smartphones to the market.
Pricing is influenced not only by the ruble exchange rate and rising component prices, but also by local factors such as rising logistics costs and lack of marketing support from manufacturers. This was said by Evgeny Kharitonov, the editor-in-chief of Ferra.ru.
The growth of the market by 42% (314 billion rubles) is also due to the low base effect. Turnover fell 34% in the first half of 2022. Now most users prefer smartphones in the range of 18,000 – 25,000 rubles.
So the increase in smartphone prices in Russia is the result of a combination of factors such as the strategies of big brands, the economic situation and consumer preferences.
Source: Ferra
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