Just a while back, Canalys – a technology analytics organisation had published its report on global smartphone sales in Q3 (July to September) of 2022. Now, they have released a similar evaluation of Q3 sales figures which is focused on the Indian smartphone market. In India, the overall shipments of smartphones in India had declined by 6% in Q3 2022 on a year-on-year basis. As per Canalys report, this decline can be attributed to lower than expected demand for low-end budget devices. In terms of absolute numbers, the total shipments of smartphones in India were 44.6 million units, as compared to 47.5 million in Q3 2021.
The number one spot has been retained by Xiaomi which has clocked 9.2 million units shipped and which translates to a 21% market share. However, if one were to look at these numbers closely, it is apparent that both of these numbers are lower on a year-to-year basis when it shipped 11.2 million devices and had 24% market share of the Indian market. On zooming out, it turns out that 4 of the top 5 brands have witnessed a decline in their shipments coupled with a falling market share on a y-o-y basis.
Oppo has stood tall against the tide and has continued increase its shipments and market share from 6.2 million units sold and 13% market share in Q3 2021 to 7.1 million units sold and 16% market share in Q3 2022. This increase amounts to a whopping 14% growth. The 2nd and 3rd spot have been taken by Samsung and Vivo respectively since they managed to limit the decrease in shipments and fall in market share to 1% each. Xiaomi and Realme have fared the worst as far as shipments are concerned as both these brands saw 18% fewer units sold on a y-o-y basis.
The analysts at the Canalys said, “Entry-level device contribution declined this year, while the mid-to-high segment performed relatively well thanks to aggressive promotions. OPPO’s OnePlus and vivo’s iQOO were the two brands driving mid-range growth in the e-commerce channel during this period. Ultra-premium category smartphones, especially older generation flagships, also experienced strong demand momentum amid price cuts. Samsung offered deep discounts on its older generation Galaxy Z Fold3 and latest Galaxy S22 series in online and offline channels. Similarly, demand for the aggressively discounted iPhone 13 outstripped the latest iPhone 14, whose value proposition is very similar to the former.”
