Smartphone Sales Rise 6% to 18 M Units in 2024

Even as Filipinos struggled with a weaker peso in 2024, their yearly tradition of buying a new gadget continued, resulting in the purchase of almost 18 million new smartphones.

- By ELIJAH FELICE ROSALES

According to records from International Data Corp. (IDC), the Philippine smartphone market grew by six percent to nearly 18 million units last year, from 16.9 million in 2023.

IDC said while Filipinos were challenged by the double whammy of a weak peso and the series of typhoons, which forced them to spend most of their resources on basic necessities, they managed to procure new smartphones, thanks to efforts by manufacturers to make more entry-level models.

This enabled Chinese brands to extend their control in the Philippines, as China supplies the bulk of units catering to the low-income bracket.