According to International Data Corporation (IDC), Russia’s smartphone market rebounded from the COVID-19 downturn with a strong Q3 that saw increased sales year on year.

IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker reports that 9.4 million smartphones, with a retail value of $2.19 billion before VAT, were imported into Russia in Q3. Total mobile phone imports to Russia reached 11.4 million in the quarter.

Smartphone sales were up nearly 10% year on year in Q3, according to the tracker. The value of the market was also around 10% higher in U.S. dollar terms year on year, despite a drop of about 25% in the value of the ruble in the past year.

IDC analysts say the sales surge was partially attributable to consumers returning to shops after the lifting of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Retailers also report that online purchasing is becoming more popular in smaller cities and towns, in part due to the lockdowns.

Samsung remained the market leader, importing 3.9 million smartphones into Russia in Q3. This was the vendor’s highest quarterly total since 2013. Samsung holds two-fifths of the Russian smartphone market.

Xiaomi captured 22.6% of the market in Q3, a robust performance that enabled the vendor to move past Huawei and, for the first time, become the second-ranked smartphone provider in the country. Huawei and its Honor brand subsidiary continued to fade in Q3, taking just 15.9% of the Russian smartphone market.

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