NEW DELHI: Chinese mobile maker Vivo has captured the top spot in India’s smartphone market, achieving a 19% market share by shipping 9.1 million units in the third quarter of this year. According to Canalys research, Vivo experienced a 26% year-on-year growth; it held a 17% market share with shipments of 7.2 million devices during the same period last year.
Xiaomi secures second position as it shipped 7.8 million units, while Samsung followed closely in third place with 7.5 million units. OPPO (excluding OnePlus) and Realme claimed the fourth and fifth spots, with 6.3 million and 5.3 million units shipped, respectively. “Vivo secured pole position owing to new launches in higher price bands coupled with aggressive channel margins,” said Sanyam Chaurasia, Senior Analyst at Canalys.
Overall, the Indian smartphone market grew by 9% in Q3 2024, with total shipments reaching 47.1 million units. Meanwhile, brands outside the top five also performed well. Apple saw significant sales driven by the iPhone 15, particularly in smaller cities, ahead of its latest launch. Motorola and Google also contributed to market growth, thanks to their unique designs, clean user interfaces, and effective channel expansion strategies.
The report also noted that early festive demand was sluggish, affected by rising food inflation and slow urban spending on consumer
durables. “Most vendors aggressively shipped devices to meet festive demand, but weaker-than-expected traction will result in inventory buildup,” explained Chaurasia. He also highlighted that in Q3, both replacement and upgrade buyers leaned toward higher-priced models, encouraged by expanded mid-to-high-end offerings.