Middle East and Africa IT Device Market

MEA IT Device Market Analysis

The Middle East and Africa IT Device Market is expected to register a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period.

• The Middle East and African PC market is performing stably. Although consumer demand has slightly lessened post-Covid, the PC market is still doing significantly better than before COVID-19. The region's total PC shipments were projected to be more than 14 million units last year. Although the demand for PCs, including laptops, desktops, and tablets, is expected to contract slightly in the coming year, it would again gain back its demand from 2024.
• Gaming laptops with slimline designs and desktop-like performance for gaming and other demanding applications saw an exponential increase in demand last year in the Middle East region. Students and young working professionals now demand gaming laptops because of a thriving gaming environment and the advent of competitive e-sports competitions.
• However, toward the end of the last year, it is not surprising that the demand for the IT device industry in the Middle East and Africa region has begun to decline, given how much of an impact inflation has had on practically every sector of the economy. Rising living expenses have restricted consumer spending on other commodities, especially IT devices.
• Encouragingly, over the period up to 2025, smartphone use is expected to rise substantially in the Middle East and Africa's less developed mobile markets, supported by continuing network investment by operators. Data usage in the region will soar by 430% between the previous year and 2027 because of rising user engagement with bandwidth-hungry apps like video.
• The post-Covid demand for both laptops and smartphones declined in the second quarter of the last year than in the same period during 2020. However, Apple's shipments increased by 2% YoY despite the downturn in the region, mostly due to improved distribution and product accessibility in GCC nations. The pandemic has brought to light the growing significance of digital technologies for crisis response and recovery planning. The crisis has also increased the possibility of accelerating Africa's digital development and created potential demand for mobile phones and PCs, which is expected to have a long-lasting impact.

MEA IT Device Market Trends

Growing Demand for Smartphones

• The rapid rise in network coverage and mobile broadband service by operators is mainly attributed to the rising demand for smartphones in this area. According to GSMA, by 2025, the number of smartphone connections in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) would surpass 500 million and demand more affordable devices.
• The MENA has the highest smartphone penetration rates in the GCC subregion, with nations like the United Arab Emirates reaching a rate of 99%. Users in the United Arab Emirates spend about six and a half hours each day using their cell phones. Other key smartphone markets in this region include North Africa, Turkey, and Israel.
• As per the GSMA report, smartphone adoption is expected to increase from 54% in 2018 to 74% in 2025 in the MENA region. Smartphones would make up 61% of all connections in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2025. Noticeably, the number of numbers 5G connections is expected to reach 45 million and 41 million by 2025 in the MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa regions, respectively. Thus, these 5G connections with faster internet access will rapidly enhance the demand for new 5 G-enabled handsets across the region.
• The growing smartphone use and data traffic will increase due to the popularity of online gaming. Over half of gaming income is expected to come from only mobile games. Consumers are expected to spend USD 7.2 billion on gaming this year, up 12.9% from last year, making the Middle East and Africa one of the most promising markets for investment.
• Various factors drive growth, including a youthful, tech-savvy populace who desire the newest technology and increased rivalry among phone manufacturers to release the most cutting-edge yet reasonably priced models to market. In August last year, the Chinese company Realme announced in Kenya that it would expand its research and development spending by 58% to create cutting-edge smartphone models with aesthetics that would appeal to youthful consumers throughout Africa.
• In the MENA, smartphones are expected to account for over 84% of all connections in 2025, up from 75% in 2021. By 2025, 107% of the people in the area are anticipated to have a sim connection.

South Africa Has a Significant Growth Potential

• The Southern Africa PC market, which includes desktops, notebooks, and tablets, achieved a robust performance during FY 2021 despite ongoing issues with the worldwide stock supply brought on by a lack of components and chipsets. The shipment in the market reached the highest in the last five years. This trend is expected to continue in the forecast period also.
• Due to massive corporate backlog orders, the continuance of work-from-home policies, and the expanding acceptance of education technology to promote eLearning, the Southern African PC market continued to witness a rise in demand, especially for mobile devices like notebooks and tablets. Additionally, the Southern African nations saw a little uptick in economic activity in the previous year's first half, with firms committing more money to IT purchases then.
• Among the major players in the PC market, HP Inc. and Lenovo held more than 23% market share each during H1 of last year. Dell Technologies held the third position with more than 16% market share, followed by Asus and others. In H1 last year, Samsung maintained its market dominance in the tablet segment. Vodacom and Apple held onto the third and fourth spots, respectively, while Lenovo came in second.
• Furthermore, nearly 20 to 22 million South Africans, or about one-third of the country's population, now use smartphones. Though feature phones are still commonly used in the nation and across the continent, the total number of mobile connections is far greater, at over 90 million. Up to the current year, there would be an expected figure of additional five million smartphone users in the country.
• In South Africa, Samsung is now the top mobile phone manufacturer. The Korean tech juggernaut today produces more than 40% of all gadgets. With a combined market share of more than 15%, the US-based company Apple and the Chinese maker of consumer electronics and telecoms gear Huawei have a significant presence in South Africa.
• With a significant market share of around 79% as of November last year, mobile devices dominated the market for internet access devices in South Africa. On the other hand, laptops and desktops accounted for almost 20% of the market from web traffic, while tablets and gaming consoles had the smallest shares, with only 1.2 and 0.02%, respectively.

MEA IT Device Industry Overview

The Middle East and Africa IT Device market could be more cohesive, consisting of some large players. Several key players in the market are in constant efforts to bring advancements. A few prominent companies are entering into collaborations and expanding their global footprints in developing regions to consolidate their positions in the market. The major player in this market includes Samsung, Dell, Apple, Lenovo, and HP.

In December 2022, Samsung unveiled a brand-new, cutting-edge shop in Table Bay. This is an advanced environment created to meet the demands of unique mobile customers throughout the holiday season. This new Table Bay location would also cater to gamers. They may now immerse themselves in their preferred mobile games on Samsung big-screen TVs.

In November 2022, Apple announced that it would establish a center for Middle East distribution in Riyadh to entice multinationals from the UAE. According to authorities, Saudi Arabia has presented its first integrated economic zone to establish itself as the region's top logistics center and draw global investment. Apple has decided to locate its Middle East distribution center in Riyadh's 3 million square meters economic zone.

MEA IT Device Market Leaders

MEA IT Device Market News

• October 2022: Xiaomi, the top smartphone manufacturer, launched the 12T Series in the Saudi Market. The event was arranged to give customers in the Kingdom access to the Xiaomi 12T smartphone series and a variety of luxury tech solutions as part of its mission to make high-quality technology available to individuals and communities worldwide.
• September 2022: Lenovo introduced brand-new ThinkPad computers in the UAE, showcasing striking, innovative designs that defy convention and add new hues and materials to its premium business laptop line-up.