Hyderabad:
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According to Counterpoint Research, the Indian smartphone market crossed 53 million units in Q3 2020.
- The smartphone shipments registered 9% YoY (Year over Year) growth as brands rushed for channel-fill weeks ahead of their usual cycle to capture festive season demand.
- Samsung led the Indian smartphone market with a 24% shipment share for the first time since Q3 Xiaomi followed closely with a 23% share and remained the top online brand.
- Market ASP (average selling price) increased as the mid-tier segment (INR 10,000-INR 20,000) gained its highest ever shipment share in a quarter.
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As per Counterpoint Research, some of the following reasons why some brands did well and some did not do well are:-
Samsung became the leading brand in the Indian smartphone market after two years with 32% YoY growth. From the COVID situation, Samsung bounced back to the number one position because of the multiple strategies, it adopted. Some of these include; an effective supply chain and touching various price points through new launches. It also did a continuous online promotion. The online channel sales were also given emphasis by Samsung.
Xiaomi slipped to the number two position for the first time since Q3 2018 with a 4% YoY decline. A gap between the supply and demand again due to COVID-19, perhaps is the reason for the decline. However the demand for the Redmi 9 and Note 9 series and other marketing strategies that Xiaomi adopted, perhaps would make it to number one in the next quarter.
Also Read: Redmi Note 9 smartphone launched in India, features and specifications
Vivo grew 4% YoY and retained its third position in Q3, driven by strong demand for its Y-series models in offline channels. In Q3 2020, it entered the premium market with the X50 series and was the first OEM to launch a gimbal camera that got positive feedback from consumers.
Also Read: Features and Specifications of Vivo Y51, launched in India
Realme also grew 4% YoY in Q3 2020 as it was able to manage supply issues with increased production. C series, Nazo Series was a good addition in its portfolio. Realme shipments grew 52% YoY in the mid-tier segment, driven by the Realme 6 and 7 series. It also retained its leadership position on Flipkart.
Also Read: Sale of Realme C 11, price, features and specifications
OPPO shipments grew 30% YoY in Q3 2020, driven by the demand for its budget segment devices, the A12 and A11k, as well as a good performance of the recently launched A52, A53 2020, and F15 in the offline segment.
Also Read: Features and Specifications of OPPO A73, Capture the Real You
Poco crossed 1 million smartphone units for the first time, driven by its new launches – M2, M2 Pro, and X3.
Also Read: Features and specifications of POCO X3, launched in India. Sale on Oct 5.
Transsion Group brands (Itel, Infinix, and Tecno) regained their market share in Q3 2020, registering 73% YoY growth. Transsion brands remained strong in Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities, and rural India, capturing the fourth position in the overall handset market. It got a spot in the top 5 brands in the budget segment (INR 6,000 – INR 10,000), driven by the newly launched Tecno Spark 6 Air and Itel Vision 1.
Itel recaptured its number one smartphone brand status in the entry-level sub-INR 4,000 price segment, driven by the Itel also remained the #1 feature phone brand during the quarter.
Also Read: Features and specifications of TECNO POVA, launched at a starting price of Rs 9,999
Apple led the premium segment (>INR 30,000) surpassing OnePlus even before its flagship launch, driven by strong demand for its iPhone SE 2020 and the iPhone 11. Its upcoming flagship iPhone 12 will further strengthen its position in the coming quarter.
Also Read: Apple enters 5G era with 4 iPhone 12 series smartphones
OnePlus remained the top brand in the affordable premium segment (INR 30,000-INR 45,000 ~ $400-$600), driven by OnePlus 8 sales. It re-entered the upper mid-tier (INR 20,000 – INR 30,000) with its Nord series and the OnePlus Nord became the best-selling model within the segment in the initial quarter of launch.
