Pakistan has seen dramatic change in its smartphone industry during the past decade. It is one of the world's most dynamic markets.

QMobile once dominated, capturing half of all sales. But 4G and retail missteps saw its lead dwindle to almost nothing. Samsung stepped in to fill the gap and quickly became the new number one. This lasted a couple years, before Itel of China arrived, poured in big investment, and rapidly moved to catch Samsung.

Itel is now Pakistan's no.1 smartphone brand -- for the first time ever. Itel owns a quarter of the entire market today in the first half of 2022, and stands a good chance of holding that lead thru the rest of the year.

Local consumers like Itel's keenly priced Android models, such as the recent A49 handset with 6.6-inch display and large 4,000mAh battery for under US$100 retail.