NEW DELHI: The Indian smartphone market shipped 69 million smartphones in the first half of 2024 calendar year, registering a 7.2% year-over-year (YoY) growth, according to an IDC study. The study noted that in the second quarter, the market shipped 35 million smartphones, with a 3.2% YoY growth.
In terms of smartphone brands, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo ranked first with a 16.5% share, as its shipments grew by 6.7%. Xiaomi, another Chinese mobile maker, took the second spot, with shipments growing the highest among the top five vendors at 26.8% year-on-year, expanding its share from 11% in Q2 2023 to 13.5% in Q2 2024. South Korean Samsung grabbed the third position, but saw its share contract from 15.7% in Q2 2023 to 12.9% in Q2 2024. Realme and Oppo secured the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, with 12.6% and 11.5% market shares. Apple took the sixth position, with a 6.7% market share, but witnessed a growth of 24.2%.
“The latter half of the second quarter is a prelude to the crucial second half of the year, with the festive sale period going up till November. Apart from old inventory clearance in the first half of the quarter, vendors also started to launch new smartphones, especially in the mid-premium/premium segment (mostly China-based vendors) from mid-quarter onwards, for monsoon sales in July and August,” said Upasana Joshi, senior research manager, devices research at IDC India.
The IDC study also noted a 2.8% YoY growth in smartphone ASPs (average selling price) in the first half of the year. However, quarterly ASPs declined by 5.6% to $248. The entry-level (sub-$100) segment witnessed a strong decline of 36% YoY to 14% share, down from 22% a year ago. Xiaomi continued to lead this space, followed by Poco and Realme.
The share of the entry-premium ($200-400) segment reached 30%, up from 22%, and registered the highest growth of 42% YoY. OPPO, Vivo, and Samsung gained significant shares compared to the previous quarter, making up almost 60% of this segment.
The premium segment ($600-800) held a 2% share and declined by 37% in unit terms. Key models were the iPhone 13, Galaxy S23FE, iPhone 12, and OnePlus 12. Apple’s share increased YoY to 61%, while that of Samsung rose to 24% from 21% a year ago. The super-premium segment ($800+) momentum continued with 22% growth, and its share increased from 6% to 7%. The iPhone 15/15 Plus/14/14 Plus together accounted for 77% of shipments, followed by the Galaxy S24/S24 Ultra with an 11% share. Overall, Apple led the segment with a share of 83%, followed by Samsung at 16%. As per the study, 27 million 5G smartphones were shipped in the quarter, with the share of 5G smartphone shipments increasing to 77%, up from 49% in 2Q23, while 5G smartphone ASPs declined by 22% YoY to US$293. Within 5G, shipments of the mass budget (US$100<US200) segment grew by 2.5x to reach a 45% share.
“The premiumisation trend in the smartphone market, led by Apple and Samsung, coupled with rising device costs, is motivating China-based brands to expand beyond the mass segment. The entry-premium segment (US$200<US$400) is expected to see healthy growth, while the entry-level (sub-US$100) will remain challenged at least this year despite efforts around launching affordable 5G smartphones. Also, marketing around GenAI smartphones will be more pronounced, amid heavy promotional activities around it,” said Navkendar Singh, associate vice-president (devices research) at IDC.