According to the Counterpoint Research data, the Indian smartphone market witnessed a massive decline of 51 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of this year. This is mainly because of the lockdown imposed by the Indian government to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
The nation-wide lockdown in India began in the last week of March which results in almost zero sales of smartphones in April this year. With lockdown restrictions lifted, the demand is also increasing and thus, the sales numbers are getting closer to the pre-COVID period.
The report from Counterpoint claims that for the month of June, it registered just 0.3 percent YoY decline, thanks to the increased smartphone demands and aggressive push from the manufacturers in India.
The Indian smartphone market is being dominated by Chinese brands. However, their contribution fell to 72 percent in Q2 2020 from 81 percent in Q1 2020 because of supply chain issues faced by the companies.
EDITOR’S PICK: Samsung announces plans for 6G technology; launch expected by the end of this decade
Xiaomi is still leading the Indian smartphone market, accounting for around 29 percent of the market, followed by Samsung with a 26 percent market share. The third, fourth, and fifth positions are secured by Vivo, Realme, and OPPO with 17 percent, 11 percent, and 9 percent market share respectively.
South Korean giant is keen to grab the pole position in the Indian market, which the held for years before Xiaomi grabbed it. However, Samsung is actively trying to get a bigger market share, as a result, the gap for the pole position is now shortening.
Another advantage for Samsung in the Indian market is that it is not a Chinese brand. Because of the on-going India-China border dispute, there is a strong anti-China sentiment and the Indian government has also banned 59 Chinese applications. It is now also planning to ban hundreds of Chinese apps, including the popular game PUBG Mobile.
UP NEXT: Xiaomi gets sued by InterDigital in India for alleged patent infringement
