Chinese-made smartphones and laptops have witnessed an increasing demand among Iraqi students for their online learning under the restrictive measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The pandemic affected the Iraqis' daily life and caused great damage to their economy, health and other sectors, including the educational sector which is already fragile due to wars and conflicts in recent decades. The rapid spread of the coronavirus prompted the Iraqi government to take a series of measures, including a partial suspension of the study in schools and universities and replacing it with online learning.

As a result, Iraqi students had to buy smartphones and laptops to continue their studies. The Chinese devices, which are not only innovative but also budget-friendly, have become very appealing to many students.

Mohammed al-Azawi, a 20-year-old student at the University of Baghdad, was at a smartphone store looking for affordable and advanced products.

"When the study became online due to the coronavirus pandemic, I, as a student, needed a phone to continue my study. Today, I came to buy this affordable and high-quality tablet phone," said al-Azawi, who was holding a Chinese-made tablet.

Abu Yehia, a Chinese smartphone store owner in his late 40s in al-Mansour district in western Baghdad, said that there is a great demand by Iraqi students for Chinese smartphones.  

"There is a huge demand from students on buying Chinese smartphones such as Huawei, Realme, Xiaomi and Infinix since the spread of the coronavirus in the country because of their great features including long battery life, powerful camera lenses and very fast processor," Abu Yehia said. "As for the maintenance, the spare parts are available, affordable, and easy to fix, unlike some other smartphone brands."

The increasing popularity of Chinese tech products in Iraq is not only restricted to smartphones and their accessories but also laptops.  

"The Iraqi students prefer Chinese tech devices because they have proven their good quality, outstanding features and long-life batteries. And the Chinese companies provide warranty and maintenance better than other companies," told a 45-year-old laptops store owner Twana Dahab.  

In the past few years, the Iraqi market was swarmed with many brands of smartphones and laptops, some of which are too expensive for many Iraqis, especially students. With the entry of Chinese smartphones for the first time in 2008 to the Iraqi market, the scale of balance has changed, and Chinese smartphones and laptops have been winning popularity and trust among the Iraqi consumers.