According to a report by Cyber Media Research (CMR), the share of 5G smartphones in overall shipments reached 79 per cent in 2024, led by Vivo and Samsung. Vivo took a 19 per cent volume share in the 5G smartphone market, closely followed by Samsung with an 18 per cent share.
The report mentioned that while the affordable segment (sub-Rs 7,000) grew slightly by one per cent year-on-year (YoY), the value-for-money segment (Rs 7,000 to Rs 25,000) declined by seven per cent annually, reflecting a shift toward premium smartphones.
As per the report, Xiaomi (18 per cent), Samsung (16.9 per cent), and Vivo (16.7 per cent) were the top three brands last year, respectively, while Oppo and Realme took fourth and fifth ranks each with an 11 per cent share. However, in fourth quarter (Q4) 2024, Vivo took the first rank with an 18 per cent share, followed by Xiaomi and Samsung with a 15 per cent share each. Oppo ranked fourth with an 11 per cent share, while Apple entered the top five list for the first time in Q4 2024.
Meanwhile, the iPhone-maker’s shipments surged by 72 per cent YoY, enabling the company to capture an 11 per cent share in Q4 2024. Its share in the super-premium segment, defined between Rs 50,000 and Rs 100,000, skyrocketed by 82 per cent YoY. The report attributed Apple’s healthy performance in the quarter to aggressive marketing, deep festive discounts, and strong demand for both the latest and previous-generation iPhones.
The report highlighted that consumer preference for smartphones with 5G and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI)-enabled features drove healthy momentum in the premium price segments. The super-premium smartphone segment (Rs 50,000 to Rs 100,000) and uber-premium segment (more than Rs 100,000) posted impressive gains, up 10 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively. Furthermore, frequent launches and rising demand for affordable handsets drove an 80 per cent year-on-year growth in sub-Rs 10,000 5G segment.
