The Indian smartphone market shipped 69 million smartphones in the first half of 2024, with 7.2 per cent growth year-on-year (Y-o-Y). In the second quarter of CY24, the market shipped 35 million smartphones, with growth of 3.2 per cent Y-o-Y, according to the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
Although it is the fourth consecutive quarter of Y-o-Y shipment growth, muted consumer demand and rising average selling prices (ASPs) continue to restrict swift annual recovery.
“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, IDC India.
According to IDC, smartphone ASPs grew by 2.8 per cent Y-o-Y; however, they declined quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) by 5.6 per cent, to $248.
With Apple and Samsung doing well in the premium segment, IDC said that the share of the entry-premium ($200–$400) segment reached 30 per cent, up from 22 per cent, and registered the highest growth of 42 per cent Y-o-Y. OPPO, Vivo, and Samsung gained a significant share compared to the previous quarter, making up almost 60 per cent of this segment.
The super-premium segment (US$800+) momentum continued with 22 per cent growth, and its share increased from 6 per cent to 7 per cent. The iPhone 15/15 Plus/14/14 Plus together accounted for 77 per cent of shipments, followed by the Galaxy S24/S24 Ultra with an 11 per cent share. Overall, Apple led the segment with a share of 83 per cent, followed by Samsung at 16 per cent.
“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 ($200–$400) is expected to see healthy growth, while the entry-level (sub-$100) segment will remain challenged at least this year despite efforts around launching affordable 5G smartphones. Also, the marketing around GenAI smartphones will be more pronounced, amid heavy promotional activities around it,” said Navkendar Singh, associate vice president, devices research, IDC.
However, the mid-premium and premium segments declined. The mid-premium segment (US$400–US$600) declined by 25 per cent in unit terms to a 4 per cent share, down from 5 per cent a year ago. Vivo, the major gainer, led with a 25 per cent share, followed by OnePlus and OPPO.
The premium segment (US$600–US$800) held a 2 per cent share and declined by 37 per cent in unit terms. Key models were the iPhone 13, Galaxy S23 FE, iPhone 12, and OnePlus 12. Apple’s share increased Y-o-Y to 61 per cent, while Samsung’s share increased to 24 per cent, from 21 per cent a year ago.
Shipments to the mass budget (US$100–$200) segment grew by 8 per cent Y-o-Y, with a marginal increase in share to 44 per cent from 42 per cent. The top three brands were Xiaomi, Realme, and Vivo, making up 60 per cent of this segment.
5G smartphone shipments
About 27 million 5G smartphones were shipped in the quarter, with the share of 5G smartphone shipments increasing to 77 per cent, up from 49 per cent in Q2 2023. While 5G smartphone ASPs declined by 22 per cent Y-o-Y to $293.
Within 5G, shipments in the mass budget ($100–$200) segment grew by 2.5 times to reach a 45 per cent share. Xiaomi’s Redmi 13C, OPPO’s F25 Pro, Realme’s 12x, Xiaomi’s Redmi 12, and Realme’s C65 were the highest-shipped 5G models in Q2 2024.
Top 10 players
Source: IDC Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker
First Published: Aug 13 2024 | 4:19 PM IST
