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OnePlus, Apple grow at massive rates in India despite stiff competition
A recent report from Counterpoint Research revealed India’s premium smartphone segment saw huge YoY growth in 2019. The market grew by a whopping 29% thanks to the increase of affordable high-end devices, a plethora of user upgrade plans, and aggressive discounts from companies such as OnePlus.
OnePlus alone pulled impressive numbers, seeing 28% YoY growth and claiming about one-third of the market. The company also passed Samsung to become India’s leading premium smartphone manufacturer for the entirety of 2019, which was a first for OnePlus.
Unfortunately, Samsung saw a 2% decrease in YoY performance, while Apple saw a massive 41% YoY growth, pitting the two companies head-to-head for second place in 2020. Samsung’s decline was most likely due to stiff competition from OPPO, ASUS, Xiaomi, and of course, OnePlus. We’ll need to wait and see if the company’s new Galaxy S10 Lite, Note 10 Lite, and Galaxy A series of devices can help it take back some of its lost market share this coming year.
So far, 2020 is shaping up to be an interesting year for premium smartphones in India. We should continue to see overall growth with a solid performance from OnePlus and strong competition from Apple. Aggressive deals, competitive pricing, and plenty of upgrade plans should continue to push growth in this segment, which can only be a good thing for consumers.