Samsung Becomes Top Smartphone Brand in India Q3, 2020
Samsung was very fast to recover from the COVID-19 shock and even surpassed its pre-COVID levels in the Q3, 2020 in India. It pushed products aggressively through its online channels and launched various new devices in the quarter to reach the number one spot. Xiaomi on the other hand slipped to the second position. In a surprising turn of events, Xiaomi registered a 4% YoY decline and came down to the second position for the first time since Q3, 2018. One of the major reasons mentioned in the report behind this is the supply-demand gap. With new smartphones on the way, Xiaomi is expected to recover fast in the next quarter. Talking about the premium segment priced above Rs 30,000 or $400, Apple was ahead of any other brand. This was due to the high demand for iPhone SE 2020 and the iPhone 11 series. With the iPhone 12 series sales starting soon as well, the Cupertino giant is expected to keep leading the race in the premium segment. However, OnePlus remained the top brand in the affordable premium segment priced between Rs 30,000 to Rs 45,000 or $400-$600 driven by the high demand for the OnePlus 8 series. With the OnePlus Nord, OnePlus again entered the upper mid-tier segment between Rs 20,000 to Rs30,000 or $270-$400 smartphone market. The result was that OnePlus Nord emerged as the best-selling device in the initial quarter of the launch. According to the Senior Research Analyst, Prachir Singh, the Indian smartphone market is well on its path to the recovery. He said that the lockdown allowed consumers to save their money which they would normally spend on leisure activities. Now using the saved money, they are purchasing new smartphones. Prachir Singh also noted that the mid-tier (Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000) segment witnessed the highest growth in the Q3, 2020. One contributing factor to Samsung regaining the top position can be the anti-China sentiment. Due to the border tensions between India and China, several Indian consumers have said to ignore the Chinese smartphone vendors. The Anti-China sentiment has compelled users to look at the next best option in terms of pricing and features with Samsung emerging as the default smartphone choice in the country.
