The Indian smartphone market "rebounded" in the third quarter of 2020: new market research

The Indian smartphone market did not have a great 2Q2020. However, IDC's latest report on this space has shown that things had gotten better in the next quarter. This country was shown to be the only one of the current top 3 to exhibit a positive change in shipments, with 54.3 million units (or 17% more YoY) sold in 3Q2020.

Interestingly, 84% of these phones were priced at US$200 (~INR 14,799) or less, whereas less of those in the $200-500 (up to ~INR 36,998) range were sold in 3Q2020. This resulted in a 2% drop in average selling price (ASP) year-on-year in the country, and was attributed to a drop in confidence among consumers who normally shopped in the mid-range to premium mid-range bracket combined with a pressing need for any device that could support remoted learning during the quarter.

Ironically, however, the sale of premium ($500 or more) devices increased by 91% YoY in 3Q2020. Apple, Samsung and OnePlus were the top 3 brands in this segment. However, the market as a whole was led by Xiaomi (with a growth of 7.1% YoY), followed by Samsung (+38.1% YoY) and Vivo (+27.4%).

Realme - a brand that has also passed the 50-million-phones-sold mark worldwide in 3Q2020 - was the #4 brand in India for the same quarter. It shipped 8 million units, or 19% more YoY, and also knocked Samsung out of the #2 spot for most phones sold online by brand in the country for 3Q2020.