A report by Counterpoint Research on Wednesday indicates that Samsung has risen to the top of India’s premium smartphone segment in the first quarter of 2019 spurred by the Galaxy S10 sales. This is coming after the Korean giant had lost the top spot to OnePlus for three quarters in a row. 
The underlying take-up for the Galaxy S10 arrangement drove Samsung to the number one position in the premium segment, said the statistical analytics firm. OnePlus came second as its seasonal cycle near. However, the OnePlus 6T retains its title as the best-selling premium smartphone in the first quarter of 2019, a title it has held since its launch last year.
The top three premium brands in India in Q1 2019 including Samsung, OnePlus and Apple accounted for 90 percent of the shipment made in the segment. Other smartphone brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo share the rest of the 10 percent of the market share. However, Apple, however, is still struggling to curtail its decline as a result of its excessive pricing. The company may start manufacturing iPhones in India in order to save 20 per cent import duty on its devices, the report added.
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According to Karn Chauhan, Research Analyst, Mobile Devices at Counterpoint, “The success of Galaxy S10 series and OnePlus 6T highlights the trend of an expanding premium segment in India.” He also added, “Users who are buying their second or third smartphone are already considering an upgrade into the premium segment. Another reason for the growth in the premium segment is a plethora of offers and installment plans available.”
(source)
