India has gone past the US to become the second largest smartphone market in the world in terms of active users. The consumer base in the country had crossed the 220 million mark by the end of 2015.
According to the report by Counterpoint Research, handset shipments in India rose by 23% YoY during CY 2015 to reach the 100 million units landmark. It grew by 15% through the course of Q4 2015 (Oct – Dec). More than 40% of the phones shipped during this quarter were smartphones and 1 in 2 were 4G-capable ones.
Interestingly, half the devices vended during the months of Oct – Dec were Made in India due to 20 or more companies now producing its offerings locally. Additionally, 1 in 3 had gotten sold through online retailers. Samsung has managed to hold on to its number 1 rank for both smartphones and handsets overall with a 28.6% and 23.6% share, respectively.
3 Samsung J series handsets found a place among the top 5 devices during Q4 2015, with the Galaxy J2 taking the top spot as the best-selling smartphone in India. The company also led the LTE segment and has managed to carve out a spot within the $100 to $200 sector. However, it’s losing its market share in the sub-$100 division.
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Micromax isn’t doing so well in that segment either, posting declining shipments through the period of time. While the manufacturer still ranks second, it’s facing increasing competition from other local brands. Its offshoot Yu is doing well, however, raking in 2 million sales during CY 2015.
Microsoft notably lost its place among the top 5 players in a quarter for the first time ever. This has been attributed to falling Lumia shipments sequentially and annually. Apple, on the flip side, has crossed the 2 million milestone during the calendar year for the first time in the country. While it holds only 2% of the volume share, it had still managed to post the third largest revenue share in 2015.