The Russian smartphone market has steadily developed since the first devices emerged in the early 2000s and especially after the launch of Apple iPhone in 2007. Over
, ahead of all European countries. The device’s
in the following years and reach 88 percent in 2029. Russia purchased nearly all devices from abroad. Starting from April 2021, smartphone producers were required to pre-install
Smartphone preferences of Russians
The
leading smartphone brand in Russia was Xiaomi, followed by Realme and Samsung. In general, the largest share of
smartphones marketed in the country was in the price range between 10,000 and 20,000 Russian rubles, while the low price segment was the second most popular. When it comes to storage, nearly
one third of total sold devices had a capacity of 64 gigabytes, while 128-gigabyte smartphones had only a slightly lower market share.
Smartphone usage in Russia
In Russia, smartphones were most commonly
employed for web browsing, social media, and e-mail. The
reach of social media in the country steadily increased in recent years, measured at 81 percent in 2023. Furthermore, approximately one half of device owners used video services, games, and shopping apps. The number of
mobile app downloads decreased slightly in 2022 relative to the previous year.
Impact of the war in Ukraine on the Russian smartphone market
Due to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine that started in February 2022, the United States imposed a ban on exports of various technologies to Russia, including the communication industry; however, devices for consumer use were exempt from the sanctions. Apple paused sales of electronics in the country, as well as exports to it, and limited the operation of
Apple Pay, which was the second most popular mobile payment system in Russia. Samsung suspended shipments, reportedly due to logistics issues. Financial Times reported reductions in shipments of Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo smartphones; however, the companies have not commented on that. The app market was affected by the restrictions as well. For example, Google Play suspended app purchases and subscription extensions in Russia. Therefore, only free and previously downloaded paid apps were available in the store.
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