India smartphone market to see 15-20% drop in Q2 amid lockdowns: Report

Owing to the second Covid-19 wave and associated state-wide lockdowns, the country is likely to see a significant dip of 15-20 per cent in smartphone shipments in April-June period (Q2) 2021, a new report said on Monday.

Coupled with that, supply chain disruptions and component shortages will continue to test smartphone brands, according to market intelligence firm CMR.

“Having said that, with remote work and e-learning continuing to gain permanence, it potentially bodes well for the smartphone industry prospects in H2 2021,” said Anand Priya Singh, Analyst-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR.

“While current market conditions remain turbulent, we remain cautiously optimistic of the smartphone industry prospects going forward,” Singh said in a statement.

Samsung led the overall India mobile market in the first quarter this year with 18 per cent market share, while Xiaomi continued to dominate the smartphone segment in the country with 28 per cent market share.

The total smartphone shipments in India in the three months ending March grew 23 per cent (on-year), with strong demand for 4G smartphones. In Q1 2021, 4G smartphone shipments grew 14 per cent (YoY), according to CMR’s ‘India Mobile Handset Market Review Report’ for Q1 2021.

The Poco brand from the house of Xiaomi registered a whopping 465 per cent growth while OnePlus and itel smartphone shipments recorded triple-digit growth (YoY).

“Xiaomi remained on top in smartphone shipments, and POCO’s remarkable growth bodes well for Xiaomi. It is facing tough competition from the likes of Samsung and vivo. During Q1, OPPO continued to build on its growth momentum, with new 5G-capable offerings,” said Shipra Sinha, Analyst-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR.

Samsung grew 41 per cent (YoY). It launched at least 12 new models with the Samsung A12, A32, A52 and A72, accounting for close to 25 per cent of its shipments.

In the feature phone segment, Samsung stood at second spot with 20 per cent market share.

OPPO shipments grew by 16 per cent YoY. OnePlus led the 5G smartphone segment with 33 per cent market share, followed by Realme at 14 per cent.

The 5G smartphone shipments accounted for 7 per cent of the overall smartphone shipments in Q1 2021.

Vivo garnered 16 per cent market share, with its shipments growing by 20 per cent YoY.

Realme shipments were mostly driven by the Realme C12, Narzo 30A and Narzo 20 series contributing 26 per cent of its share.