Dominance of low-cost brands
In recent periods, affordable Android brands have been outperforming giants in the telecommunications industry. In fact, as of January 2023, Oppo and Vivo had the highest market share among other mobile vendors. Meanwhile, Samsung held a share of about 15 percent, while Apple had about 10 percent of the market share. At the same time, when it comes to shipments, realme took the lead among other smartphone brands accounting for roughly 23 percent. This refers to devices delivered to carriers or retail chains. The number of smartphones shipped to the Philippines has been declining in the past three years.Android brands offer affordable 4G-enabled smartphones, and most of them have started rolling out 5G devices. Over the years, mobile brands have been partnering with telecommunication companies by offering bundling promos that include getting a device and a mobile subscription, often resulting in increased sales.