Apple outflow: iPhone sales in Russia have reached a record low since 2022
About 460,000 iPhones were sold in Russia in the first half of the year, which is the lowest figure since at least 2022, according to market participants. At the same time, Apple retains its leadership in smartphone sales in monetary terms. At the same time, there is an increase in demand for devices from Asian brands, including Redmi, Honor, Realme and others. Experts attribute the decline in interest in the iPhone to its high cost in the absence of breakthrough innovations, expensive loans that often buy Apple equipment, and the constant removal of Russian applications from the App Store. In addition, analysts note a general trend towards consumers' desire to save money when buying expensive smartphones.
How much have iPhone sales decreased in Russia
Their sellers and experts told Izvestia about the decline in demand for Apple smartphones. According to Svyaz.In the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2025, the market for Apple gadgets decreased by 10-15%. The MTS press service reported a 12% decrease in sales in units, while the brand's share in the Russian market remained at the level of last year.
During this period, about 460,000 iPhones were sold in Russia, about 60,000 less than a year earlier, Eldar Murtazin, a leading analyst at Mobile Research Group, told Izvestia. According to him, this is a record low level of sales of Apple gadgets since at least 2022. A total of 10.2 million smartphones worth 256.7 billion rubles were sold, the MTS press service added.
At the same time, according to the Izvestia source, the American company ranks first in the retail market in terms of smartphone sales in Russia in monetary terms — it accounted for more than 27% of sales.
"Apple retains the leadership of the Russian smartphone market in monetary terms, and buyers are increasingly choosing devices of the current generation, versions with increased memory capacity and models of the Pro series," the press service of M.Video".
The growth of iPhone sales in the first half of the year on Wildberries was 325% compared to the same period in 2025, but at the same time, the market for these gadgets in our country really decreased by 15-30%, Ilya Novikov, head of the Smartphones category at RWB (Wildberries & Russ), told Izvestia.
"This is due to a number of factors: Apple's lack of fundamentally new technological solutions, an increase in the average life of devices, the brand's pricing policy, as well as external conditions, including, for example, a shortage of memory in the global market, affecting the final cost of products," he said.
This drop can be called the first serious one since the beginning of parallel imports of electronics to the Russian Federation, agrees Oleg Yablokov, NTI expert on wireless communications. iPhone sales in Russia have been declining for the third year in a row. In this sense, the current level of demand is the lowest for the entire post—sanctions period, he said. In his opinion, several reasons contributed to the drop in sales.
— The main factor is the high key rate of the Central Bank. About 70% of Apple's equipment is sold on credit, which at today's rate is holding back demand. An additional limitation is the unavailability of many banking and service applications in the App Store, which forces users to switch to Android. Apple does not conduct marketing and commercial support for its products in Russia, which also accelerates the outflow of customers, the expert listed.
The decline in iPhone sales is due to the general decline in the smartphone market, as well as the fact that users have been using their devices longer and changing them to new ones less often, MTS believes.
Which smartphones do Russians buy instead of Apple ones
According to Oleg Yablokov, the market leaders in unit terms in the first quarter were Redmi, Samsung and Realme. By the end of 2025, Redmi (18% market share), Samsung (12%), Tecno and Realme (11%) accounted for the largest shares in terms of the number of devices sold, he told Izvestia. The main growth was observed in the middle and lower price segments (25-35 thousand rubles), he said.
Nikita Tolpygin, head of the Telecom and Gadgets Department at M.Video, added that Honor also entered the top 5. According to him, this distribution reflects the high demand for smartphones in the mass and mid-range price segments, where balanced characteristics, a wide range of models and an optimal price-performance ratio remain the key factors of choice.
— In monetary terms, Apple ranks first, followed by Samsung, Redmi, Honor and Realme. Apple's leadership reflects consistently high demand for premium devices, while Samsung and Redmi maintain strong positions thanks to a wide range of models in various price categories," he said in an interview with Izvestia.
According to him, the Russian market remains one of the most competitive: the main players in the mass segment continue to actively develop their product lines, offering a wide range of models in almost all price categories.
"As a result, customers get access to modern technologies regardless of budget, and competition between manufacturers stimulates further market development and the emergence of new features, including solutions based on artificial intelligence," says Nikita Tolpygin.
— The most noticeable increase in demand today is observed in the segment of smartphones costing 40-60 thousand rubles. According to the results of the first half of the year, their sales increased by 37% compared to the same period in 2025. It is in this price category that most of the most popular models from Chinese manufacturers are represented, which offer a wide range of modern functions," the MTS press service noted.
In the segment of new devices, sales of OnePlus smartphones increased most noticeably — in the second quarter they were bought 87% more often compared to the same period last year, according to Avito materials. Vivo smartphones are in second place: their sales increased by 14%, Honor models are in third place, and these smartphones began to be bought more often by 14%.
"In retail, Vivo smartphones showed the most noticeable increase in sales — they were bought more often by 72% year-on-year. Google devices are in second place. Their sales increased by 19%. This is followed by Tecno with an 8% increase in sales," Avito also noted in its materials.
According to Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily, now Russian users are generally saving on technology, and buying expensive smartphones is not one of the priority expenses. At the same time, a significant part of Apple devices are traditionally purchased on credit, but the rates on them are now scaring off some buyers.
In addition, the removal of a number of popular applications from the App Store, as well as the complication of paying for subscriptions and software, do not contribute to the growth of Apple user loyalty in Russia, the expert noted. At the same time, Chinese manufacturers, he said, offer a wide range of functional smartphones in all price segments, which increases competition in the market.
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