South Korean tech giant
Samsung
held onto its throne as the leader in India's smartphone market during the year 2023, capturing an 18% share, according to CyberMedia Research (CMR). However, in the fiercely competitive December quarter, Chinese brand
Xiaomi
snagged the top spot with a 19% share. According to
CMR
estimates, the India smartphone market grew 19 per cent on a year-over-year (y-o-y) basis and the share of 5G smartphone shipments increased to 65 per cent with a 122 per cent growth.
"Samsung maintained its leadership in the smartphone market with an 18 per cent market share, followed by
Vivo
at 16 per cent in calendar year 2023. In the 5G smartphone segment also, Samsung topped the leaderboard with 23 per cent followed by Vivo at 15 per cent and OnePlus at 13 per cent," CMR's India Mobile Handset Market Review Report said.
5G Takes Center Stage
The market research report highlighted the surging popularity of 5G smartphones, with their share jumping to 65% in 2023, marking a 122% growth over the previous year. Samsung retained its 5G crown with a 23% share, followed by Vivo (15%) and OnePlus (13%).
Xiaomi Makes a Q4 Push
While Samsung led the overall year, Xiaomi dominated the December quarter with a 19% share, edging out Samsung by a hair (18.9%). Vivo took the third spot with 16%. Realme and OPPO rounded out the top five with 12% and 8% shares, respectively.
Premium Market Heats Up
Shipments of premium smartphones (above Rs 25,000) saw a significant 71% year-on-year growth. Apple claimed a notable 6% market share in Q4, with the iPhone 15 series driving over half of its sales.
Feature Phones Find New Life
Surprisingly, the 4G feature phone market experienced a healthy 52% growth, primarily fueled by
Jio
devices. Meanwhile, older 2G phone shipments declined by 12%. Jio led the feature phone segment with a 38% share, followed by Itel Mobile (23%) and Lava (15%).
Xiaomi Sub-Brand Shines
POCO, Xiaomi's sub-brand, impressed with a staggering 148% growth in smartphone shipments. Vivo also saw impressive growth in its 5G segment, with a 300% surge compared to the previous year.
CMR predicts continued growth for the Indian smartphone market in 2024, estimating a 7-8% increase. 5G is expected to be the key driver, with shipments projected to rise by over 40%. Even 4G feature phones are anticipated to see a 10% growth next year.
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