In the first half of 2025, global premium smartphone sales rose 8% year-on-year, setting a record for this period, according to analytics firm Counterpoint Research. In comparison, the overall smartphone market grew by just 4%. The trend of “premiumization” is evident worldwide: consumers are increasingly upgrading to higher-priced models for better experiences and due to improved affordability. As a result, the premium segment accounted for more than 60% of global smartphone revenues.
Apple retained the lead with a 62% market share and 3% year-on-year growth but lost ground in China to Huawei and Xiaomi. Huawei is rapidly regaining market share thanks to its loyal user base, strong offline sales, and innovative form factors such as the triple-fold Mate XT. Xiaomi has also strengthened its position, benefiting from the halo effect of its premium electric vehicles and the expansion of its ecosystem.
For the first time in five years, Google entered the top five premium brands, doubling sales thanks to the Pixel 9 series, expansion into new markets, and its AI-focused clean software approach.
Samsung improved performance with its Galaxy S25 series, while the upcoming Fold7 is expected to outperform its predecessor.
India was the fastest-growing market (+37%), where Apple’s success and accessible financing made premium smartphones more attainable for a broader audience. Meanwhile, China, the world’s largest premium smartphone market, remained the biggest contributor to global sales.
Foldable smartphones stand out as a rapidly growing niche, bolstering the “luxury” image of brands. Apple is expected to join this segment in 2026.
Another key trend is the generative AI revolution: over 80% of premium smartphones sold in H1 2025 supported generative AI. Analysts note that as hardware differences diminish, the capabilities of AI ecosystems are becoming an increasingly decisive factor in consumer choice.
Global meat and vegetable oil prices hit multi-year highs in August 2025, while grain and dairy products became cheaper, according to data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) stood at 130.1 points in August, nearly unchanged from the revised July level of 130.0 points. Falling grain and […]
In August 2025, Kazakhstan delivered 190,000 tons of oil to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline system, an 18.7% increase compared to July, KazTransOil reported. “In August, KazTransOil JSC transferred 190,000 tons of Kazakh oil into the Transneft trunk pipeline system through the Adamova Zastava delivery point for further supply to Germany,” the company said in […]
The State Tax Service of Ukraine reduced the number of on-site inspections in August by almost one-third compared to July, following the introduction of a moratorium, Acting Head of the STS Lesia Karnaukh wrote on Facebook. According to her, in July just over 3,600 on-site inspections were conducted, while in August the figure dropped to […]
The United States has abolished duty-free tariffs for parcels worth up to $800, known as the de minimis exemption. This benefit had been in place since 1938 and was raised from $200 to $800 in 2015 to boost small businesses on online marketplaces, Reuters reports. A six-month transition period will follow, during which postal services […]
Chinese company China Concord Resources Corp (CCRC) has begun developing two oil fields in Venezuela. According to a company representative, the investment will exceed $1 billion, Reuters reported. By the end of 2026, production is expected to reach 60,000 barrels of oil per day. This marks a rare case of investment by a private Chinese […]
Chinese authorities have stepped up calls for investors to declare profits from overseas operations, tightening pressure on wealthy citizens in an effort to boost fiscal revenues amid economic headwinds, the Financial Times reports. Tax agencies in Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Shandong have this year published notices on their websites requiring income declarations, while also phoning and […]
Donald Trump’s administration is in talks with Intel about a possible purchase of a stake in the company by the U.S. government, Bloomberg reports, citing sources familiar with the plan. Such a move could help advance the long-delayed project to build the world’s largest microchip manufacturing hub in Ohio, which has been repeatedly postponed due […]
The Windscribe privacy tool, based in Canada, failed to encrypt corporate VPN servers recently confiscated by the Ukrainian authorities. The company provides services through the OpenVPN program. The Android app has over 5 million installs, indicating that the user base is probably much larger. “On June 24, 2021, our monitoring systems informed us that two […]
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Nissan has introduced a new sports car Nissan GT-R NISMO Special Edition. The car is equipped with a dual 3.8-liter turbocharged V-6 engine with 600 horsepower and 481 Nm of torque. The sports car accelerates to 96 km/h in 2.8 seconds. The first sales in the US are expected this fall. The cost of the […]
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In July-September 2020, Ukrainian banks closed 251of the structural subdivisions, reducing the regional network to 7329 branches by October 1. This is stated in the data of the National Bank. Most branches in the third quarter were closed by the state Oschadbank – 166, reducing its total number to 1931. During the same period, the […]
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The Cabinet of Ministers has introduced a mandatory declaration of an increase in retail prices for gasoline and diesel fuel by more than 1%. Now the price increase must be reported in 20 days. This is stated in Government Resolution №450 of March 29, 2021, which was updated. The list of socially significant goods to […]
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The “Pan Kurchak” agroindustrial group got permission to export chicken to the EU. This is the third Ukrainian company, besides the MHP and “Agromars” Complex” that can ship products to Europe. Products designed for the European market will be produced at the facilities of “Gubin” poultry complex”, which were upgraded in 2015. “The advantage with […]
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In September Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris said in his twitter about of his thoughts of ??buying the island somewhere in Greece or in Italy, to settle migrants and refugees there. This proposal was very popular in twitter, so Sawiris, who is one of the ten richest people in Africa, whose fortune is estimated at $ […]
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Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) in the period of the interim administration and liquidation of insolvent Delta Bank recognized as negligible 175 deals worth 22.292 billion UAH. According to the DIF, in particular, to 11 business transactions, including the sale of the assets with the discount, or related parties, transaction of 12.2 million UAH were recognized […]
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Sunday Times newspaper has investigated and reported as Mondelez International (formerly known as Kraft Foods)-the biggest in North America and the second largest worldwide producer of food avoid paying taxes. According to the Sunday Times, the Cadbury owner – Mondelez International Company (formerly known as Kraft Foods), legally evaded taxes in the amount of tens […]
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The US company Amazon will expand its business in six cities of U S, investing more than $ 1.4 billion in this activity. This is stated in a statement published on the website of the corporation on Tuesday, August 18. “Today, we are pleased to announce the plans which provide for continued investment and the […]
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Sergey Kasyanov gave a controlling stake in the agricultural holding KSG Agro Swiss to the OLBIS company. Previously, CD Investments SA company owned the64.62% shares of the company. ICD Investments SA Holding Company (Switzerland) has transferred 64.62% stake of the agro-industrial company KSG Agro (Dnipropetrivsk region) to the OLBIS. This is stated in the message […]
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The Bank of Japan has announced plans to begin experimenting with the digital currency early next fiscal year. At the first stage, it is planned to test the main functions of the digital currency, including the methods of its issuance and circulation. The second stage involves additional technical experiments. The Bank of Japan may then […]
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OpenAI has announced the launch of group chats in ChatGPT for users worldwide, TechCrunch reports. After a week of testing, including in Japan and New Zealand, the feature will become available to all users in the coming days, regardless of subscription plan (Free, Go, Plus, or Pro). The new feature allows users to collaborate with […]
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Russia received its lowest fossil fuel revenues since the start of the war In the second quarter of 2025, Russia’s revenues from fossil fuel exports fell by 18% year-on-year, the worst figure since the invasion of Ukraine. This is stated in the monthly report of the Centre for Energy and Clean Air Research (CREA). Despite […]
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1000 business and political leaders from around the world and 30 speakers will gather over three days. Hosted in-person in Kyiv from 20-22 October 2021, they will discuss and create commercial and partnership opportunities to deliver a secure energy future. The event showcases Ukraine’s natural gas opportunities and attractive investment climate as well as the […]
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According to the source Inventure, Ukraine has attracted nearly $ 4 billion ($ 3.8 billion) of foreign investment over the past 2016. This figure exceeds the amount of 2015 almost doubly. These indicators were noted by First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv at the governmental seminar “The economic development of the regions: strategies […]
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