According to a report by CyberMedia Research (CMR), India’s smartphone market shipments experienced a 6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline during Q2 2023, while the overall mobile market in India declined by 2 per cent YoY. Meanwhile, the 5G smartphone shipment share in India increased to 47 per cent, with 5G smartphone shipments growing 45 per cent YoY.
As per the report, Samsung dominated the 5G smartphone market in India, securing a 24 per cent market share, followed by OnePlus with a 20 per cent market share. While the value-for-money smartphone segment (Rs 7,000-Rs 25,000) was the largest contributor with a 72 per cent share, its shipments declined by 16 per cent YoY due to slow demand. The affordable smartphone segment (less than Rs 7,000) recorded significant growth of 51 per cent YoY, driven by Redmi A2 and Infinix 7 HD. The premium segment (Rs 25,000-50,000) recorded 9 per cent YoY growth, the super-premium smartphone segment (Rs 50,000-Rs 100,000) and the uber-premium segment (higher than Rs 100,000) shipments saw remarkable growth of 95 per cent and 133 per cent YoY respectively leading to the increase in overall smartphone average selling price by 17 per cent YoY.
Further, the report finds that the overall feature phone market shipments recorded 9 per cent YoY growth. Although 2G feature phone shipments remained stable, 4G feature phone shipments recorded a remarkable 108 per cent YoY growth primarily driven by notable contributions from Nokia 8000 4G, Nokia 106 4G and itel Magic X Pro. The 4G feature phone segment is expected to witness growth in the calendar year 2023, fuelled by the introduction of phones such as JioBharat.
Commenting on the report, Shipra Sinha, analyst, Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, said, “This single-digit decline is attributed to the improved macroeconomic condition positively impacting consumer demand and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) strategic measures to clear their existing stocks in preparation for the upcoming festive season. Despite the overall decline in smartphone shipments, the 5G smartphone segment showed promising performance capturing 47 per cent market share (up from 31 per cent in Q2 2022). The overall feature phone segment grew 9 per cent YoY.”
Meanwhile, Menka Kumari, analyst, Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, said, “The smartphone market is set to bounce back in the second half of 2023, thanks to the festive season and increased consumer spending. The rise of 5G and foldable phones will also boost the market’s recovery.”
According to CMR’s estimates, the market conditions are expected to improve in the second half and the overall smartphone shipments for the entire year are projected to witness single-digit YoY growth. The smartphone shipments in Q3 are anticipated to grow in the run-up to the festive season.
