Indian smartphone shipments hit record high in Q3 2019, led by Xiaomi

Despite an economic slowdown, India’s smartphone shipments reached an all-time high in Q3. According to research statistics from Counterpoint’s Market Monitor service, the industry experienced an overall 10% year-on-year increase.

A record 49 million units shipped this quarter, offsetting the ongoing economic plateau. Counterpoint suggests the overall growth is most likely attributed to pre-Diwali season-related device launches, aggressive marketing, and discounts.

Claiming 26% market share, Xiaomi still leads smartphone sales in India. It recorded its highest ever shipment sales despite its market share decreasing from the 27% it held in Q3 2018. Samsung comes in second, while Vivo, Realme, and Oppo all trail relatively close behind.

Despite its efforts to reclaim some of the budget market in India, Samsung’s Galaxy M series didn’t appear to help the company’s overall sales this quarter. It lost a total of 3% of the share it held just one year ago. In Samsung’s defense, the M series is relatively new, and it could take a while for the line to develop the same level of trust customers have with the Galaxy A or Galaxy S series.

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On the other end of the spectrum, Xiaomi is trying to break free from the budget image the company has become synonymous with. It has been releasing more and more premium devices, which could be precisely what the company needs to stay on top in India. If Xiaomi’s new Mi Mix Alpha doesn’t attest to this, I don’t know what will.

Of the top five manufacturers, vivo and realme experienced the highest percentage of growth. Alongside Xiaomi, they both recorded their highest ever smartphone shipments in India. vivo’s market share increased by 7%, and realme’s grew by a whopping 13%, proving they are becoming more competitive with the big dogs.

All other smartphone manufacturers account for only 13% of India’s Q3 smartphone shipments compared to 29% last year. Despite this, OnePlus ranked as the number one premium smartphone brand in Q3 2019. The company’s shipments doubled from last year thanks to the newly launched OnePlus 7T and discounts on the OnePlus 7 series.

This overall growth trend is expected to continue through the rest of the holiday season.

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