Despite the growing impact of smartphone use on countries’ economies, the literature has rarely investigated the link between economic context and smartphone purchase trends. Based on 20,556 smartphones sold from a Cross-Border E-Commerce (CBEC) platform, the study reveals that relationships between GDP per capita and Smartphone Choice Preferences (SCP) as well as Purchase Quantities (PUR) are direct and partially mediated by Price (PRI), Read-Only Memory (ROM), and Random-Access Memory (RAM). That means that the economic context highlighted by the GDP plays a substantial role in smartphone choices and purchases. The study suggests that e-sellers and smartphone brands should adapt their marketing and manufacturing strategies to the countries’ economic contexts to leverage the fearless competition in the smartphone industry.