September 28, 2026 – Kuwait City – -- HONOR grew smartphone shipments 35% year on year in the Middle East during the first half of 2026, even as the overall regional market contracted 13%, according to Omdia data cited by the company. The brand was the only major vendor in the region to post growth in the period, moving into second place in the market after posting 73% growth in the first quarter alone.
HONOR captures 24% share of the $300-500 price band
The gains were concentrated in the mid-to-high-end segment. HONOR took a 24% share of the $300-500 price band in the first quarter of 2026, up 130% year on year, narrowing the gap with Samsung in that category. The HONOR X9d, positioned on durability and battery life, became a top seller in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while the HONOR 600 Series delivered double-digit growth in what the company calls the accessible flagship segment.
Saudi Arabia becomes the top tablet brand with 500% AIoT growth
HONOR is now the number one tablet brand in Saudi Arabia by market share. Its AIoT business grew more than 500%, and the HONOR Earbuds Clip has sold over 100,000 units in the Kingdom. The company's retail footprint there is expanding to 25 HONOR Experience Stores, eleven inside shopping malls, backed by a new contact centre and 16 service centres. HONOR has also signalled a coming B2B push in Saudi Arabia.
LEAP 2026 in Riyadh hosts the Robot Phone's Middle East debut
At LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, HONOR presented its ALPHA PLAN strategy and showcased the Robot Phone in the Middle East for the first time. The device pairs on-device AI with an integrated robotic gimbal that allows it to move and track a subject autonomously, with imaging developed alongside ARRI, the century-old professional cinema equipment maker. The roadmap extends to AI glasses, robotics and PCs.
UAE retail expansion targets ecosystem sales over unit growth
In the UAE, HONOR opened its first Experience Store at Dubai Festival City Mall, followed by Abu Dhabi's first authorised experience store and service centre, a location at Al Reem Mall, and a BurJuman store in Dubai in January 2026. With the UAE smartphone market largely flat, the stores are built to sell laptops, tablets, wearables and connected devices to a high-disposable-income, mall-driven consumer base.
Egypt facility scales toward 3 million smartphones a year
The most structurally significant move is in Egypt, where HONOR is expanding its facility at 10th of Ramadan industrial city outside Cairo — its first industrial site outside China — toward an annual capacity of 3 million smartphones. The 8,000-square-metre plant runs five production lines and two surface-mount technology lines. The site is designed as an export base into Africa and the wider Arab world, cutting logistics costs and import barriers for regional supply.