The latest research report suggests that Realme was able to take over Samsung to get to the second spot in the total smartphone shipments in India in the fourth quarter of 2021. The report comes in from Counterpoint Research according to which, Realme became the only brand in India’s top five to witness growth in the final quarter and also managed to get to second place for the first time ever. All the other smartphone manufacturers witnessed a decline in shipment units.
Smartphone Shipment in India
The report informs that the country’s smartphone shipment witnessed a growth of 11% year-over-year (YoY) basis reaching 169 million units in 2021. However, the overall smartphone shipments in the final quarter of 2021 registered an 8% decline YoY mainly due to the supply chain restrictions and component shortage issues. However, industry experts believe that situation will get better and things will turn to normalcy by the end of 2022.
Talking specifically about the brands, Xiaomi managed to retain its top position in the Indian smartphone market in 2021 with 2% YoY growth. The slower growth can be once again attributed to the component shortage. Xiaomi witnessed a growth of 258% in the premium segment which accounts for devices with price tags greater than Rs 30,000, all thanks to the company’s Mi 11x series. Xiaomi is expected to focus on its premium segment devices in the future as well.
South Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung stayed in second place, however, witnessed an 8% YoY decline in shipments. Many factors such as supply chain issues, lack of attention on entry-level smartphones, fewer smartphones available in the mid-segment led to the overall drop in the company’s shipments. Samsung was on the top of the table when it came to 5G smartphones shipments in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the company also managed to lead the INR 20,000-INR 45,000 price segment with a 28% share.
Realme not only captured the second spot in the fourth quarter of 2021 for the first time but also managed to become the fastest-growing brand among the top five with 20% YoY growth. Realme chose to switch to the ‘Unisoc’ processor in order to face the challenges posed by the component shortage. The brand also witnessed high demand for its C series and Narzo series. The company also entered the premium segment with the newly launched ‘GT series.’
Vivo and Oppo managed to secure the fourth and fifth in India with 2% and 6% YoY growth respectively in terms of smartphone shipments. Oppo was also the fastest-growing brand in the premium segment. Though Apple isn’t on the top five list, it was one of the fastest-growing brands with 108% YoY growth in shipments and managed to retain it's leading the premium category with 44% market share.
