Report: Chinese smartphones are dominating in India, but so are Indian feature phones

According to a report Counterpoint Research published earlier today, Chinese brands hold a record 66 percent of the India smartphone market. However, Indian brands continue to dominate the feature phone market.

Even though its shipments fell by two percent year-over-year, Xiaomi still holds the top position in India with a 29-percent market share. Even though Samsung still holds the number two spot, it saw a three-percent decrease year-over-year.

The same can’t be said for Vivo, Realme, and Oppo — vivo and OPPO saw shipments jump 119 and 28 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, realme is a relative newcomer and holds seven percent of the Indian smartphone market. realme was previously an OPPO sub-brand before it split off and became an independent company.

Unfortunately for Indian brands, they reportedly reached their lowest ever market share. According to Counterpoint, that’s partially due to a lack of refreshes, stiff competition, and slow growth in the entry-level market. As such, Indian brands are firmly in the “Others” category and might not move away from there for some time.

However, things look up for Indian phone brands when you consider feature phones. 400 million people in India use features, with almost half of shipments coming from Indian companies. Jio leads the pack with a 30-percent market share, while Samsung and Lava hold 15 and 13 percent of the market, respectively.

Rounding out the top five are Nokia and Itel with eight and seven percent, respectively.

Not everything is roses in the feature phone market, however. Jio’s shipments fell six percent year-over-year, with Lava doubling its market share in just one year. Even Samsung saw a five percent increase in shipments year-over-year.

We’ll see what happens in the feature phone market in a year’s time. However, it’s all China as it relates to smartphones.

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