Indian Smartphone Shipments Declined For Third Consecutive Quarter: Canalys

Indian smartphone shipments were down 5 percent in the second quarter of 2022 (Q2 2022) as compared to the first quarter of the year (Q1 2022), according to research firm Canalys. A total of 36.4 million smartphones were shipped in India in Q2 this year. This is the third consecutive quarter of falling shipments in India for the smartphone market. Among the recorded data, Xiaomi retained its top position by shipping 7 million units, while Samsung and Realme took second and third spots with 6.7 and 6.1 million shipments, respectively.

According to the research report from Canalys, smartphone shipments in India in the second quarter of this year has declined by 5 percent in comparison to Q1 this year. The smartphone market witnessed around 36.4 million smartphones in Q2 2022. However, the report also mentions that the year-over-year Indian smartphone shipment comparison seems very positive, and is up by 12 percent. The reason for this can be the low shipements in the second quarter of 2021 due to the second COVID wave, as per the report.

Photo Credit: Canalys

Xiaomi, including sub-brand Poco, maintained its top position with 7 million smartphone units' shipment having 19 percent of market share. It was followed by Samsung with a close 6.7 million units being shipped having 18 percent market share. Realme managed to remain at the third spot with 6.1 million smartphone shipments with a 17 percent market share.

Meanwhile, Vivo and Oppo took the fourth and fifth positions with 6 and 5.5 million units' shipments, respectively. Vivo captured 16 percent market share, while Oppo retained 15 percent share in Q2 2022, according to the report.

Other smartphone manufacturers sold 5.1 million units taking the remaining 14 percent of the market share.

Oppo and Vivo stayed relevant to the Indian market with the launch of their new new K10 model and T1 series. Meanwhile, Apple, which is now using India's PLI scheme to make the iPhone 13 locally, can support future aggressive pricing.

The report also states that the main reason for the lower demand in this quarter was high inflation levels which altered consumer spending patterns and demand for smartphones. Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo were also under scrutiny over tax evasion and money laundering probes in India.