OnePlus corners 33% of Indian 5G smartphone market in JFM 2023 quarter

The sales share of 5G smartphones in India crossed 50% mark for the first time in April with brands like Samsung and OnePlus capturing a third of the share, according to data by Counterpoint Research. The reasons for growth can be attributed to the increased rollout of 5G networks and people’s preference for 5G phones over 4G ones while upgrading their handsets, according to analysts.

“There’s still a long way to go, especially in terms of network coverage. But this is a milestone for sure,” said Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint.While the research firm notes that 5G services are still patchy across most parts of the country, there has been a trend of fall in the sales share of 4G phones from November 2022 to April 2023.In November last year, the share of 4G smartphones was at 64% in sales, compared to 5G smartphones’ 36%. In April 2023, the sales share of 4G smartphones fell to 50%, whereas 5G smartphones’ share rose to 50%, according to Counterpoint.

“Samsung helped 5G get across the line but OnePlus was the real winner. Huge month for them as they punched above their weight capturing a third of all 5G sales,” said Shilpi Jain, senior research analyst at Counterpoint.In the January-March quarter, 5G smartphones’ contribution to total mobile shipments reached a record of 43%, according to Counterpoint. Samsung was the leading brand for 5G shipments with a 24% market share.

The overall smartphone shipments, however, fell 19-20% to 31 million in January-March, which is the highest-ever decline in the first quarter, according to data from Counterpoint and Canalys. The fall in shipments was due to sluggish demand, high inventory build-up, growing demand for refurbished phones, etc, analysts said.

According to Crisil, out of the 150-170 million annual smartphone shipments in India, currently about 30-35% are 5G-enabled. Financial Express