Samsung Electronics has registered improvement its unit sales which drove up its revenue to help the firm lead African smartphone market for the first time in three decades.
According to market research firm TechInsights, while total smartphone sales in the African market fell 16.6% year on year in the second quarter, Samsung’s unit sales surged 34.8%.
The improved performance is attributed to increased adoption of flexible payment plans which have driven up device sales in Africa.
“The introduction of a customized installment model that lets customers pay for devices in daily or weekly amounts, reflecting local income structures where monthly salaries are not common, appears to have been a key factor,” said the firm in a statement.
The firm says the installment payment model accounted for 46% of its smartphone revenue in Africa
“As the initial purchase burden has decreased, sales of premium products are also increasing. Samsung’s sales of Galaxy S and Z series devices in Africa rose 20% year on year this year,” it noted.
Samsung also ranked first in both revenue and unit sales in the second quarter of 2026.
On an annual basis, Samsung is also expected to rank first in both revenue and unit sales, with a 34.5% share of sales value and a 38.7% share of unit volume.
