“Consumers have relied on their mobile devices during lockdown for online learning, connecting to the office and for social online engagement,” explains Likun Zhao, vice president at Huawei Consumer Business Group Middle East Africa (Southern Africa).

A noticeable growing need has emerged for lower cost, mid-market devices that deliver quality features and functionality

“The reason for this growth is the growing need for reliable connectivity during the pandemic, but also the fact that 70% of total smartphone sales in the mid- to high-end market come from the operator model, where smartphones are subsidised and paid off over a 24-month contract period,” says Zhao.

“While the demand for premium smartphones remains strong, a noticeable growing need has emerged for lower cost, mid-market devices that deliver quality features and functionality in terms of connectivity, battery life, storage capacity, native device processing, and the device’s design and camera,” adds Zhao.

“While mid-market devices might not have the same chipset on the device, optimised software delivers comparable performance, and reliable connectivity and a user-friendly interface offer consumers all the functionality they need to access cloud services, which have grown exponentially during the pandemic,” says Zhao.

Huawei’s Y7p

“Given the South African market demands, and changing consumer behaviour and needs, the growth of the mid-market smartphone is hardly surprising – especially considering the advances to functionality and user experience offered by these devices.