Smartphones Sales In India Decline In Q1 2022; Xiaomi Still Number One Smartphone Brand

Market analyst International Data Corporation (IDC) says that smartphone shipments in India fell for the third consecutive quarter, registering a fall of 5 percent YoY. IDC reports that this could be attributed to the third wave of COVID-19, inflation, and supply chain issues for low-end smartphones.

Smartphone Sales In Q1 2022

The analyst noted that online outlets saw a 7 percent YoY growth in smartphone shipments. Unsurprisingly, offline retail shipments declined by 13 percent YoY. This could be due to customer apprehension in the wake of the pandemic.

Although shipments in the budget smartphone sector fell by 16 percent, the mid-range segment rose to 18 percent from 14 percent in the first quarter of 2022. The mid-premium segment grew by 75 percent YoY, of which the premium segment can be credited for a 5 percent share. Notably, Apple accounted for 60 percent of the premium smartphone shipments.

Top 5 Smartphones

Xiaomi maintained a lead when it came to smartphone shipments, even if shipments fell by 18 percent YoY in Q1 2022. Xiaomi rose to the second position for 5G smartphone sales, thanks to the MI 11i series and Redmi Note 11T.

Samsung continued to stay in the second position, although it registered a YoY decline of 5 percent in the first quarter of 2022. In the 5G segment, it had a 29 percent share, with the Galaxy M32 and Galaxy A22 being significant contributors.

While realme fell to the third position, it was the only smartphone maker to grow to 46 percent YoY.

vivo came in fourth, registering a fall in shipment of 17 percent YoY. OPPO occupied the fifth slot, with a decline of 25 percent.

An IDC analyst states that it isn’t entirely optimistic about consumer demand in 2022. Factors such as inflation and increasing smartphone refresh cycles could result in a subdued demand. As the smartphone supply chains eventually return to normalcy, sales will continue at a slower pace.