The demand for “indestructible” smartphones has grown in Russia

At electronics chain Citilink, unit sales of secure smartphones up 300%; in monetary terms, growth was 27% year-on-year, Kommersant writes. In total, according to the retailer, 16.5 thousand smartphones of various brands were sold on the market in June-July.

Basically, these models are chosen for extreme sports or outdoor activities, but now the consumer has paid attention to them due to their longer lifespan, Citilink reported.

A partner of several large stores confirmed the growth in demand for rugged smartphones; China’s Doogee alone more than doubled its sales in January-June 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, he said. This year, retailers sold more than 12 thousand smartphones for 193 million rubles, and last year – 5 thousand for 66 million rubles.

M.Video-Eldorado also noted a positive trend in secure smartphone sales, but noted that this segment remains a niche segment, accounting for less than 1% of the smartphone market in unit sales.

Rugged or “rugged” smartphones have a case or case with additional shock-absorbing edges, as well as improved IP68 moisture protection. This allows the device to be dustproof, submersible in water up to 1.5 meters deep for up to 30 minutes, and withstand drops of 1.5 meters or more, depending on the device model.

Prices for such devices on average start at 10 thousand rubles and reach about 30 thousand rubles. They are mainly sold by Chinese brands.