Mobile Tech Innovation for the Global South: Patent Analysis of Transsion, Samsung & Xiaomi (2015-2025)

This project examines whether and how “innovation for the Global South” can be empirically identified through the patent portfolios of three major mobile phone vendors operating in African markets: Transsion, Xiaomi, and Samsung. Building on Lu and Qiu’s (2022) approach to understanding empowerment through patents, the study analyzes patent data from 2015 to 2025 to investigate how these firms frame, develop, and protect technologies relevant to African users and market conditions. By comparing similarities and differences across the three companies’ patent portfolios, the project aims to clarify the relationship between localization and original innovation for the Global South. In doing so, it seeks to contribute theoretically to debates on technological innovation, platform globalization, and the extent to which corporate innovation practices address the needs, constraints, and opportunities of Global South contexts.