Samsung Claws Back Lead in Indian Smartphone Market
Samsung has regained the No. 1 spot in the burgeoning Indian smartphone market, just six months after ceding it to Chinese rival Xiaomi.
According to market researcher Counterpoint Research on Wednesday, Samsung had the biggest Indian market share in the second quarter of this year with 29 percent. Xiaomi fell to second with 28 percent, followed by Vivo (12 percent), OPPO (10 percent) and Huawei (3 percent).
India is the world's third-largest smartphone market after China and North America.
Samsung has stepped up marketing in India and set up a new smartphone factory in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
With a population of 1.3 billion, 44 percent of whom are under 24, and a smartphone penetration rate at only 25 percent, India is now the biggest prize for smartphone makers.
Counterpoint said Samsung's strategy of rolling out a wide variety of phones at varying prices paid off. Xiaomi fell behind by a small margin but still achieved its biggest sales in India so far. It has produced three of the five best-selling smartphones there.
Vivo and OPPO, both affiliates of China's BBK, continue to woo Indian customers with competitive prices and expand their presence. Vivo has become an official sponsor of the Indian Premier League cricket tournament and OPPO of the Indian national cricket team.
Lim Soo-jung at Counterpoint said, "The online smartphone market in India is growing bigger, and manufacturers will strengthen their low-priced lineups there."
Source: http://english.chosun.com