OnePlus knocks out Samsung and Apple to become biggest premium smartphone seller in India

The Indian smartphone market is biased towards cheaper bang-for-buck devices but its premium segment is developed enough to have a significant portion of the total market. According to Counterpoint Research, OnePlus overtook both Apple and Samsung to become the largest premium smartphone seller in India in the last quarter.

By premium, the source report refers to devices priced over INR 30,000 which converts to just under US$450. The report claims that OnePlus captured 40% of the premium segment, ahead of Samsung’s 34% and Apple’s 14%. In terms of growth, the Chinese OEM saw a year-on-year rise in the region of 440%, while both Samsung and Apple registered declines. 

Concerning individual devices, the OnePlus 6 was the best-selling device in the premium market, clinching 30% of sales—effectively making it the most successful OnePlus flagship ever in the Indian market. The Samsung Galaxy S9+ was the second best-seller with a 12% market share, which collaborates with existing data on poor Galaxy S9 sales, especially since it indubitably contributed to Samsung’s 25% year-on-year decline in sales in that segment of the market.