Publication date: 09 Mar 2023

One of the main drivers of the entire global online gambling market is the penetration of smartphones. The increase in the number of mobile devices among users worldwide is due to a decrease in the average selling price and the development of communication network infrastructure.  Nowadays, smartphones provide a user-friendly and intuitive interface for casino and eSports games. They also support many mobile payment solutions such as M-Pesa, Orange Money and Airtel Money. This data was provided by TechNavio in its forecast of online gambling development until 2027.

The most popular smartphones of 2022: 

1. The baseline iPhone 13 takes up 5% of global sales;
2. iPhone 13 Pro Max – 2.6%;
3. iPhone 14 Pro Max – 1.7%;
4. Samsung Galaxy A13 – 1.6%;
5. iPhone 13 Pro – 1.6%;
6. iPhone 11 – 1.5%;
7. iPhone 14 – 1.4%;
8. iPhone 14 Pro – 1.2%;
9. iPhone SE 2022 – 1.1%;
10. Samsung Galaxy A03 – 1.1%.

According to Counterpoint Research.

 There is also a growing market for foldable smartphones around the world. They are gaining popularity because of their interesting design, while for the gambling market they are attractive with innovative features, such as twice the screen size. Canalys analysts estimated that total shipments of foldable smartphones reached 14.2 million devices in 2022. Samsung leads the way with around 12 million and the rest of the sales come from Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Honor. According to experts, global shipments of foldable devices will double to 30 million in 2023. Half – about 15 million – will account for Samsung (Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4). 

What smartphones are chosen in Russia?

In Russia in 2022, the average price of a smartphone has fallen by almost 20%: from 23.3 thousand to 19.2 thousand roubles. First of all, this is due to the fact that the range of expensive Apple and Samsung models in the Russian market decreased significantly. Besides, the reason for the drop in prices was the general decline in Russians’ expenses: buying a new phone has now become an optional expense and, if necessary, the choice is made in favour of low-cost devices.  

• In Russia, mobile devices account for 90% of all time spent on the Internet.

In 2022, Russians most often bought Xiaomi, Realme, Tecno, Itel and Infinix.

According to retail chains MTS, Megafon, Beeline and Tele2. 

 Experts predict that retailers will sell 26m smartphones at an average price of over 21,000 roubles in 2023. 

• Since March 2023, warranty service for MacBooks and iPads from Apple has been suspended in Russia. The cause was logistical challenges in the supply of spare parts caused by sanctions restrictions. The iPhone smartphones have not been affected by this measure yet. However, M.Video-Eldorado and re:Store chains have clarified that stocks of iPhones will run out before the end of the month, and supplies of “gray” gadgets have almost stopped. The whole situation could have a significant impact on the Russian smartphone market.

The demand for large and innovative smartphones is now growing in Russia. Tele2 analyzed that in 2022 the share of devices with eSIM support increased to 9% (+3% compared to the results in 2021). The share of LTE smartphones increased by 2% and now accounts for 96%. Users also prefer smartphones with larger screens: the share of devices with a display diagonal of over 6 inches has exceeded 60%.