The Indian smartphone market grew by 25 percent year on year in Q1 2021, with the total smartphone shipments reaching over 38 million units in the first quarter, according Counterpoint research’s Market Monitor service. These were the highest-ever first quarter shipments, according to the report. The Counterpoint Research report said that new product launches, promotions, and financial schemes, as well as pent-up demand from 2020 drove the smartphone market in Q1 2021. “Continuing with its stellar run, India’s smartphone market registered a third consecutive quarter of record shipments in Q1 2021, riding on pent-up demand. Consumer confidence also increased due to the beginning of a vaccination drive in the country. But these numbers should be taken with caution as a second and more virulent wave of COVID-19 is currently on in the country and is likely to impact the coming quarters. The consumer demand will take a hit due to the ongoing COVID-19 wave and subsequent lockdowns,” Prachir Singh, a senior research analyst at Counterpoint said.
The combined mobile handset market (including feature phones and smartphones) grew 19 percent year-on-year in Q1 2021 due to the strong performance of both feature phones and smartphone segments. The feature phone market registered a 14 percent year-on-year growth during the first quarter, according to the Counterpoint report. The report said that the growth was driven by strong shipments of the JioPhone under its new model and promotions. JioPhone led the market with a 21 percent share.
In terms of smartphones, Xiaomi retained its top spot with a 4 percent year-on-year growth driven by the Redmi 9 series. The Redmi 9A was the best-selling smartphone model during the quarter. The brand re-entered the upper mid-tier segment after almost 1.5 years with its latest 5G offering, according to the Counterpoint report. While Xiaomi remained the largest smartphone brand, OnePlus registered the largest year-on-year growth at a rate of 300 percent, driven by the OnePlus Nord and the OnePlus 8T, Counterpoint said. OnePlus was also the top 5G brand in India in Q1 2021, with the OnePlus Nord being the best-selling 5G smartphone model in the first quarter.
Samsung, on the other hand, remained the second-largest smartphone brand in the country and registered a 52 percent year-on-year growth driven by its focus on budget smartphones in India.
Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor factors-in sell-in estimates based on vendor’s IR results and vendor polling, triangulated with sell-through (sales), supply chain checks and secondary research.
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