Samsung has ranked first in Africa’s smartphone market for the first time since it entered in 1995. Market firm TechInsights says Samsung led on revenue in the first quarter, then led on both revenue and unit sales in the second. Total smartphone sales in Africa fell 16.6% year on year in that quarter, yet Samsung’s unit sales rose 34.8%. Smartphone instalment plans that fit local incomes appear to have played a key part.
How Smartphone Instalment Plans Fit Local Pay
Many people in the region earn daily or weekly wages, so saving a lump sum for a phone is hard. Monthly incomes range from $100 to $500, while major Galaxy A models cost about $200. Samsung now lets customers pay in daily or weekly amounts, and this model brought in 46% of its African smartphone revenue this year. As the upfront cost falls, more buyers are moving up, with Galaxy S and Z series sales rising 20% year on year, so smartphone instalment plans appear to help.
Trust that Lasts Longer than the Price Tag
In Africa, the phone often works as both a wallet and a bank. The GSMA says mobile money transactions in sub-Saharan Africa totalled $1.4 trillion last year, about two-thirds of the global total. Because mobile money fraud is common, phone security protects people’s savings directly. Samsung’s Galaxy A series offers up to seven years of system and security updates, and the company runs service points in 281 locations across 38 countries, which gives buyers on smartphone instalment plans long-term support.
Samsung’s share of African unit sales was 22.4% in 2024 and 26.5% in 2025. TechInsights forecasts 38.7% for this year, a rise of more than 16 percentage points in two years. TechInsights also expects Samsung to lead on value this year, with a 34.5% share. The lesson is simple: when phones fit how people earn and last for years, smartphone instalment plans can turn wanting a phone into owning one.
