Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi is confident that it will be able to retain its No. 1 position in the Indian smartphone market next year too, but industry experts believe that a different company will take the number 1 spot in the country in 2020. This is a pretty big claim, so let’s take a closer look at why exactly there’s this expectation.
The big competitor this time is apparently not Samsung or Apple, but instead the behemoth that is the BBK Group. For those not in the know, the BBK Group is the company behind such smartphone companies like Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus and Realme. You can probably already see where this is going, especially considering the popularity of these brands.
EDITOR’S PICK: Apple, Google, Dell, Microsoft & Tesla sued over ‘brutal’ child labor in cobalt mining
“Given the remarkable Q3 2019 strides made by the BBK brands in India, Xiaomi would need to be wary of the rising competition and the decline in its market share. In the first three quarters of 2019, Xiaomi lost three per cent market share,” claims Prabhu Ram of Head-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CyberMedia Research (CMR).
All of these brands saw great performance in India this past year, and they only seem to be gaining more steam. Realme in particular seems to be punching well above their weight. Xiaomi on the other hand have been doing well, but saw a decline in Q3 2019 where Xiaomi’s market share fell from 30.6 per cent to 27.1 per cent.
“As Realme comes with new offerings in the mid-tier and premium segment, and OPPO and Vivo also unveil plans to go premium, Xiaomi faces an uphill battle. To retain their numero uno position, Xiaomi would need to go beyond its existing brand imagery and also consolidate its offline play,” says Ram.
UP NEXT: Xiaomi dominates wearable market, Apple lags behind in second
(Source)
