Online Sales, Low-cost Models Ring in Good Times for Smartphones
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India's smartphone market
bounced back in the quarter ended September -after declining for two
consecutive quarters -on the back of low-cost devices and a spurt in
online sales, with South Korea's Samsung Electronics maintaining its
position at the top. The smartphone market grew 12% from the previous
quarter and expanded 20% from a year earlier, according to Hong
Kong-based Counterpoint Technology Market Research. One in three
smartphones was sold online and a similar proportion of devices were LTE
or 4G-enabled, with their shipments doubling sequentially and
increasing 25-fold year on year.
Samsung maintained its No. 1 position in overall mobile phones with a share of 19% and in smartphones with a share of 23.2%, while Micromax Informatics and Intex -at No. 2 and No. 3 in both categories -narrowed the gap with the market leader. Micromax took 13.8% of the mobile phone and 17.7% of the smartphone market, respectively, while Intex had 11.3% and 11.7%, respectively.
“We are seeing significant proliferation of LTE and a larger display `6,500) form-factor in the sub-$100 (.price band as these features reach mass market level for the `mobilefirst' market such as India,“ said Tarun Pathak, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research.
The Indian smartphone market is being fuelled by two device trends one is 4G LTE and other is the phablet form-factor, Pathak said, and underlined that one of four phones was made in India, coming on the back of five major handset brands being assembled domestically.
Samsung said its market share by value for the September quarter was 43%, much higher than its competitors. “We've gained market share handsomely every month and across segments,“ said Manu Sharma, director -product marketing, for Samsung India, which launched two smartphones exclusively on Flipkart. The Korean company said its market share in smartphones was 43% in September, compared with 42% in August and 39% a year earlier.
The company also led in the premium smartphone segment -devices priced above . `30,000 -with a 51% share, a massive surge from 36% at the same time last year.“There's a high single-digit difference (between us and Apple) in the premium segment,“ he added.
Samsung's share in the . `10,00020,000 segment was 49% as of September, up from 43% a year ago.India, which is set to overtake the US as the second-fastest growing smartphone market after China by 2017, is where Samsung has been facing stiff competition from local players, including Micromax and Intex. The presence of Chinese players including Xiaomi, Lenovo and Huawei is making conditions even tougher for Samsung in India. The K3 Note from Lenovo was the bestselling smartphone in India in the September quarter. Lenovo took the No. 4 spot in the smartphone segment with a 9.8% share, followed by Lava with 6.6%.
A report by Ben Bajarin, principal analyst and head of primary research at Creative Strategies, predicts that Samsung may be out of the business completely within the next five years as it grapples with innovating the next big thing.
Samsung maintained its No. 1 position in overall mobile phones with a share of 19% and in smartphones with a share of 23.2%, while Micromax Informatics and Intex -at No. 2 and No. 3 in both categories -narrowed the gap with the market leader. Micromax took 13.8% of the mobile phone and 17.7% of the smartphone market, respectively, while Intex had 11.3% and 11.7%, respectively.
“We are seeing significant proliferation of LTE and a larger display `6,500) form-factor in the sub-$100 (.price band as these features reach mass market level for the `mobilefirst' market such as India,“ said Tarun Pathak, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research.
The Indian smartphone market is being fuelled by two device trends one is 4G LTE and other is the phablet form-factor, Pathak said, and underlined that one of four phones was made in India, coming on the back of five major handset brands being assembled domestically.
Samsung said its market share by value for the September quarter was 43%, much higher than its competitors. “We've gained market share handsomely every month and across segments,“ said Manu Sharma, director -product marketing, for Samsung India, which launched two smartphones exclusively on Flipkart. The Korean company said its market share in smartphones was 43% in September, compared with 42% in August and 39% a year earlier.
The company also led in the premium smartphone segment -devices priced above . `30,000 -with a 51% share, a massive surge from 36% at the same time last year.“There's a high single-digit difference (between us and Apple) in the premium segment,“ he added.
Samsung's share in the . `10,00020,000 segment was 49% as of September, up from 43% a year ago.India, which is set to overtake the US as the second-fastest growing smartphone market after China by 2017, is where Samsung has been facing stiff competition from local players, including Micromax and Intex. The presence of Chinese players including Xiaomi, Lenovo and Huawei is making conditions even tougher for Samsung in India. The K3 Note from Lenovo was the bestselling smartphone in India in the September quarter. Lenovo took the No. 4 spot in the smartphone segment with a 9.8% share, followed by Lava with 6.6%.
A report by Ben Bajarin, principal analyst and head of primary research at Creative Strategies, predicts that Samsung may be out of the business completely within the next five years as it grapples with innovating the next big thing.
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