Vivo Surpasses Samsung As the Top Smartphone Brand In India: IDC Vivo's growth can be attributed to building its portfolio across price segments/channels and supporting offline partners; Samsung - despite the new lineup - witnessed declining shipments
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In the first quarter of 2024, Vivo emerged as the top smartphone brand in India with a market share of 16.2 per cent, up from 15.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2023. Samsung stood at the second position with a market share of 15.6 per cent, a 13 per cent year-over-year (YoY) decline compared with last year. Xiaomi's market share was 12.8 per cent up from 12.6 per cent last year, according to the International Data Corporation's (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report. Vivo's growth can be attributed to building its portfolio across price segments/channels and supporting offline partners. Amongst the top 10 brands, Motorola registered the highest growth, led by affordable launches; Samsung - despite the new lineup - witnessed declining shipments.
"The first few months of the year have provided momentum for the smartphone market in India. However, the second half of the year will be crucial. IDC estimates a modest overall annual growth in the mid-single digits for 2024. Challenges around attracting first-time smartphone users and mitigating the impact of the secondhand market continue to restrict market growth. Notably, the market's concentration among the top brands is weakening, with the long tail of smaller brands and sub-brands gaining volume. The share of the top five brands has dropped to 65 per cent from 69 per cent a year ago," said Navkendar Singh, Associate Vice President, Devices Research, IDC.
India's smartphone market shipped 34 million smartphones in 1Q24, with 11.5 per cent growth YoY, making it the third consecutive quarter of growth in shipments. Shipments to online channels grew by 16 per cent YoY, and its share increased to 51 per cent in 1Q24 compared to 49 per cent in 1Q23. Apple, with an ASP of US$953, had a record first-quarter shipment, growing by 19 per cent YoY. Price discounts, special deals on eTailer platforms, and attractive financing options led to this consistent growth for Apple beyond the festive season. iPhone 14/15 made up 56 per cent of shipments for Apple.
"Several new launches across multiple price segments happened during the quarter, coupled with increased promotional activities, particularly around premium offerings. Brands continued their focus on micro financing schemes to drive affordability. eTailers organized several sales events and offered discounts on models nearing their end-of-life (EOL), resulting in increased demand and lean inventory," said Upasana Joshi, Senior Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.
As many as 23 million 5G smartphones were shipped in the quarter. The share of 5G smartphone shipments increased to 69 per cent, up from 46 per cent in 1Q23, while 5G smartphone ASPs dropped to US$337, a decline of 21 per cent YoY in 1Q24. Within 5G, shipments of the mass budget (US$100
