Where a few vendors dominate shipments, on-device inventory is dense and cheaper to scale. Q2-2025 shipment data shows exactly those conditions:
- LATAM: market up +2% YoY to 34.3M units; Samsung leads with 11.0M, Xiaomi #2 with a record 6.7M. OEM buys focused on Galaxy + Redmi/POCO often cover half a country’s Android base.
- Middle East (ex-Turkey): +15% YoY to 13.2M, the fastest-growing region worldwide, prime ground for Samsung/HONOR/Xiaomi on-device mixes.
- Africa: Transsion = 51% share (TECNO/itel/Infinix); the most OEM-concentrated region on earth — start with Transsion routes if you want true coverage.
- SEA: Xiaomi #1 (19%), Transsion #2 (18%) in a 25M-unit quarter; Redmi/POCO + Infinix/TECNO drive budget-efficient reach.
Why this matters: OEM advertising is not just “another network. It’s on-device media defined by the vendor’s software surfaces (preload, recommendations, app store, lock screen). Treat it as a distinct storefront in your UA plan.
Economics are improving for on-device
- Galaxy Store rev-share: Samsung cut its take to 20% (apps/IAPs) and 15% on subscriptions effective May 15, 2025, a direct LTV uplift for store-driven flows.
- Demand proof: Digital Turbine reported $95.4M in On Device Solutions revenue in its June quarter (Q1 FY26), underscoring advertiser appetite for preloads/setup-flows at scale.
- Store footprint expanding: vivo’s V-Appstore added 16 new countries in June 2025, widening SEA/MEA opportunities for featuring and search ads.
New surfaces = higher intent moments
On-device discovery is getting more shoppable. Glance × Samsung launched opt-in AI shopping on Galaxy lock screens in the US (app + lock-screen experience, ~50M devices), turning first-look moments into commerce. For UA, these surfaces act as high-attention paths to first open and increasingly, to purchase.
A practical OEM-first playbook for UA managers
- Plan by vendor × geo, not just by channel. Build a matrix per country (LATAM/MEA/SEA): pick the 2–3 OEMs covering ≥60% of shipments and map available surfaces (preload/setup wizard, store featuring/search, lock screen). Anchor budgets to those OEMs first; expand only after CPI stabilizes.
- Exploit store economics in your LTV. Re-forecast payback with Galaxy Store 80/20 (subs 85/15). Where Samsung share is high, route trials/subscriptions via store rails when it improves take-rate math.
- Sequence placements for CAC stability. Start with preloads/setup on the dominant OEM – layer store featuring/search – test lock-screen cards. Watch D0–D7 value density and CAC variance by OEM; shift budget to the best payback glide per region.
- Instrument OEM has its own storefront in the MMP. Use a separate “OEM” media source group with sub-labels (Preload/Setup, Store, Lock Screen). Map early value events (trial start, level reached, add-to-cart) so OEM CPI – tROAS is apples-to-apples with in-app networks.
- Run incrementality by path, not just by channel. Hold out geo slices or device SKUs to estimate net-new vs. cannibalization across preload/store/lock screen.
- Localize to device reality. Transsion/entry-to-mid devices: highlight data-light and battery-smart value props; GCC/premium Android: emphasize AI features and financing offers aligned to local demand (backed by fast-growing shipments).
In 2025, OEM traffic is the lever for efficient Android scale. Shipment concentration in LATAM, MEA, and SEA, better store rev-share, expanding OEM storefronts (V-Appstore), and new lock-screen commerce make on-device buys the most reliable way to keep CPI predictable and ROAS rising. If your plan still treats OEM as an afterthought, you’re leaving reach and unit economics on the table.
