For those familiar with the smartphone industry, the Indian market is somewhat like a reserved territory for domestic brands, with all top five brands, except Samsung, being domestic ones. However, due to local policies in the past couple of years, domestic brands in India have been somewhat affected. Now, with domestic brands resolving these issues and returning to normal channels, Samsung has naturally become the first victim.
Why is it so? Before domestic smartphone brands in India faced unconventional treatment, Samsung was dethroned as the number one brand in the Indian market by domestic smartphones. In the past two years, Samsung seized the opportunity to reclaim the top spot in the Indian market. However, now the top position has been snatched back by domestic smartphones.
According to a report from Counterpoint, there has been a significant shift in the landscape of the Indian smartphone market in the first quarter of 2024. The top-ranked brand is now vivo, with a market share of 19.2%, an increase of 1.7 percentage points year-on-year. Xiaomi follows in second place with a market share of 18.8%, a three-percentage point increase year-on-year. Samsung now holds the third position with a market share of 17.5%, a decrease of 2.8 percentage points year-on-year. OPPO ranks fourth with a market share of 10.1%, a decrease of 1.9 percentage points year-on-year. Realme secures the fifth spot with a market share of 9.9%, an increase of 0.8 percentage points year-on-year.
From the overall report, the three brands Vivo, Xiaomi, and Realme have all shown year-on-year growth, with Xiaomi experiencing the largest increase. On the other hand, Samsung and OPPO have seen declines in their year-on-year performance, with Samsung experiencing a more significant decrease. However, the Samsung Galaxy S24 series has shown notably better sales in the Indian market compared to its predecessor. This indicates that in the high-end segment of the Indian market, Apple and Samsung are still preferred, even though Apple did not make the list.
Moreover, Vivo taking the top spot in rankings may come as a surprise to many. This is likely the first time Vivo has secured the number one position in the Indian market, which is a crucial milestone for the brand. While Vivo currently holds the top spot in the domestic market, its global ranking has dropped to sixth place in Q1, mainly due to poor performance in overseas markets. Vivo now urgently needs steady growth in international markets to regain its position among the global top five.
Of course, Xiaomi has been on the rise in the Indian market over the past year. Due to certain factors, it temporarily conceded the top spot to Samsung. Now, Xiaomi's goal is undoubtedly to reclaim the number one position, as its sales continue to climb. Currently at second place, it is only 0.4 percentage points behind Vivo. With a little more effort, Xiaomi could easily surpass Vivo and once again become the undisputed No.1 in the Indian market.
