Appeal of Chinese phones grows in Russia

Chinese smartphones are growing more popular in Russia, accounting for nearly one-third of the Russian market, Sputniknews reported, citing a survey conducted by Russia electrics retailers Svyaznoy and Euroset.

In terms of units sold, sales of Chinese brand smartphones including Huawei, Lenovo, Meizu, Xiaomi, ZTE and LeEco, rose 33 percent between January and June, while sales value of Chinese smartphones rose 55 percent, according to the survey.

Experts predicted more than 12.5 million smartphones were sold in Russia in the first six months, among which more than 4.4 million units were made in China.

Data from Russia mobile operator MTS showed the top three smartphone brands in the first half of this year were Samsung, with a market share of 22.2 percent; Huawei (16.7 percent); and Apple (12.9 percent).

Chinese smartphones have grown more popular in Russia in recent years due to their low prices, variety of functions and high performance, and some smartphone manufacturers have accelerated their expansion in the Russian market.

Chinese technology giant Xiaomi introduced its latest flagship smartphone to Russian consumers at a news conference on June 6 in Moscow.

In May, Chinese smartphone producer Vivo rolled out smartphones tailor-made for the FIFA World Cup in Russia as part of its sponsorship campaign for the global sports event.