The Middle East smartphone market had a rough first half of 2026, but HONOR’s did not. According to research firm Omdia, regional shipments fell 13% year on year over the period, while HONOR grew 35%. That made it the only major brand in the region to post growth, and it moved into second place overall.
Growing while the whole category shrinks is harder to dismiss than a strong quarter in a booming market. When overall demand is falling, gains usually come at someone else’s expense. HONOR’s first quarter was even stronger, with growth of 73%. The company hasn’t said which rivals lost ground, and Omdia’s headline figures don’t show how big the gap to first place is. Samsung is the obvious comparison.
Most of the momentum came from mid-range phones. In the $300 to $500 bracket, HONOR says it held a 24% share in the first quarter, up 130% year on year, which put it close to Samsung in that segment. This is the part of the market where buyers compare specs carefully and brand loyalty is weakest, so gaining share here says something real about the products. The HONOR X9d, which focuses on durability and battery life rather than chasing headline specs, became a top seller in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It’s a sensible fit for a region where heat and dust are everyday conditions for a phone. The HONOR 600 Series also reportedly grew by double digits.
In the UAE, HONOR’s bet is less about phones and more about everything that connects to them. Its retail footprint began with an experience store at Dubai Festival City Mall and has since added Abu Dhabi’s first authorised experience store and service centre, a location at Al Reem Mall, and a BurJuman branch in Dubai in January 2026. These stores sell laptops, tablets and wearables alongside phones, which makes sense in a mature, mall-heavy market where phone sales themselves have largely flattened.
That ties into HONOR’s broader repositioning as an AI device company under what it calls the ALPHA PLAN. Its most eye-catching product is the Robot Phone, which has a built-in robotic gimbal so the camera can physically track subjects. The imaging was developed with cinema camera maker ARRI. The company’s roadmap also includes AI glasses, robotics and PCs, and it showcased the strategy at LEAP in Riyadh.
The ambition is clear, but the numbers so far come from affordable, durable phones rather than futuristic hardware. HONOR’s next challenge is showing that shoppers who liked a $400 phone will also buy into the rest of its devices. Apple and Samsung have spent years building that kind of loyalty.
