The Indian market is estimated to ship 270 million mobile phones in 2017, of which 130 million (48 percent) will be smartphones, Gurgaon-based market research firm CyberMedia Research (CMR) said on Wednesday.
Samsung continues to remain the leader and its immediate next 'floating' competitor is still half the size in market share by volume.
"However, as we see most of the action taking place this year in sub-Rs. 10,000 category, Samsung will have to consider further strengthening this low-value, high-volume segment by offering a wide range of platform," the CMR report said.
Among the Chinese brands - Lenovo, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi - have carved a strong position in the Indian market and collectively they shipped 75 percent of the smartphones.
Chinese Vendors Capture 40 Percent of Indian Smartphone Market, Says IDC
"Indian smartphone market is very dynamic in nature and the key is to come up with innovative products, future technology at a good price point and brand success will depend a lot on the amalgamation of these factors," said Sudhin Mathur, Executive Director, Lenovo Mobile Business Group, India.
Other brands like Honor (Huawei) started off late in full swing while OnePlus is a niche brand, limiting their addressable market.
Huawei Aims to Be Among Top 5 Smartphone Makers in India by Year-End
"Though the crossover may still not happen in 2017, in terms of smartphone shipment proportion exceeding feature phones, they will finish very close to each other during the year," the report added.
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