Samsung Closes In On Xiaomi For Top Spot In India Smartphone Market In Q2 2019

Posted by Strategy Analytics

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, India smartphone shipments grew 3 percent annually to 35.6 million units in the second quarter of 2019. Xiaomi retained first position, but a resurgent Samsung is closing the gap in second place. Vivo and OPPO lost marketshare, as Realme made significant gains.

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “India smartphone shipments grew 3 percent annually from 34.5 million in Q2 2018 to 35.6 million in Q2 2019. Growth was driven by generous discount schemes promoted by online retailers such as Flipkart. India today remains one of only a handful of growth markets among the global smartphone industry.”

Woody Oh, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Xiaomi shipped 10.2 million smartphones for 29 percent marketshare in India during Q2 2019, broadly flat from 29 percent share a year ago. Xiaomi remains the number one smartphone vendor in India, due to an extensive retail presence, but its lead over Samsung is starting to shrink. Samsung is on a recovery path and its smartphone marketshare has risen sharply from 23 percent in Q2 2018 to 26 percent in Q2 2019. A portfolio refresh undertaken by Samsung last year, and its ‘India first’ strategy, have been central to the firm’s resurgence in the second quarter. Enhanced Galaxy A and M series smartphones are helping Samsung penetrate deeper into the big online market. We expect Samsung to build further momentum and it is on track to reclaim top position in the world’s second largest smartphone market during the second half of 2019.”

Rajeev Nair, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, added, “Vivo captured 11 percent smartphone marketshare in India in Q2 2019, dipping from 12 percent a year earlier. Like Xiaomi, Vivo is also struggling to fend off a revitalized Samsung. OPPO maintained fourth place with 8 percent smartphone marketshare in India in Q2 2019, down from 11 percent during Q2 2018. OPPO is facing intense competition in midrange price-bands from Xiaomi and others. Realme is a rising star and its India smartphone marketshare has jumped from zero to a record 8 percent in the past twelve months. Realme, an OPPO offshoot, is seeing surprisingly strong demand for its affordable Android models such as 3 and C2.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “While Chinese vendors, like Realme, are surging, we note the pool of local Indian smartphone brands has been nearly wiped out and their collective marketshare in the country today stands at less than 3 percent. Indian smartphone makers, such as Micromax and Lava, have completely failed to win in India and the outlook for them in 2020 is bleak.”―CT Bureau