Q1 India Smartphone Market Grows 23%... Samsung Chasing Xiaomi

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Cho] Samsung Electronics ranked second in the Indian smartphone market, the world's second-largest, in the first quarter of this year, following China's Xiaomi. Leading with its mid-range Galaxy M and A series lineup, Samsung succeeded in narrowing the market share gap with the number one Xiaomi from double digits to single digits.

According to the Market Monitor report by market research firm Counterpoint on the 27th, the shipment volume of the Indian smartphone market in the first quarter of this year recorded 38 million units, a 23% increase compared to the same period last year. This was due to consecutive new product launches, expanded marketing, and pent-up replacement demand caused by COVID-19.

By manufacturer, Xiaomi maintained the top spot with a market share of 26%. Samsung Electronics was second with 20%. The market share gap between Xiaomi and Samsung narrowed from 15 percentage points in the same period last year to 6 percentage points in the first quarter of this year. They were followed by Vivo (16%), Realme (11%), and Oppo (11%).

Counterpoint stated, "Samsung Electronics focused on the affordable mid-range lineup with new releases such as the Galaxy M02, resulting in a 52% increase in shipment volume compared to the same period last year." During the same period, Xiaomi showed 4% growth. Xiaomi's Redmi 9A, priced around 100,000 KRW, was the best-selling smartphone in the first quarter. Five of the top 10 best-selling models were Xiaomi. Vivo also grew by 16%.

However, the recent resurgence of COVID-19 in India is a concern. It is expected to impact smartphone shipment volumes in the second quarter. Prachir Singh, Senior Researcher at Counterpoint, said, "Consumer demand will be directly hit due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and the resulting lockdown measures."

The overall Indian mobile phone market, including both feature phones and smartphones, grew by 18% compared to the same period last year in the first quarter of this year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.