Apple Adds Shine To Super-Premium Segment As India Smartphone Market Ships 24 Million Phones In Q1 2024

This quarter's growth was primarily fueled by the super-premium segment ($800+), which experienced the highest growth rate at 44 per cent.

In the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24), India's smartphone market witnessed shipment of 34 million smartphones, marking an 11.5 per cent year-over-year (YoY) growth, a new report by the International Data Corporation (IDC) says. IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker adds that this is the third consecutive quarter of shipment growth in the country.

This quarter's growth was primarily fueled by the super-premium segment ($800+), which experienced the highest growth rate at 44 per cent. Its market share increased from seven per cent to nine per cent during this period.

The combined shipments of the Apple iPhone 14/15/14 Plus and 15 Plus constituted 64 per cent of the market, while the Galaxy S24/S24 Ultra/S23/S24+ series held a 25 per cent share. Apple dominated the segment with a 69 per cent share, followed by Samsung at 31 per cent.

"The first few months of the year have provided momentum for the smartphone market in India. However, the second half of the year will be crucial. IDC estimates a modest overall annual growth in the mid-single digits for 2024,” said Navkendar Singh, Associate Vice President, Devices Research, IDC.

Vivo Leads With Highest Market Share, Samsung's Share Drops

In terms of overall market share, the top three smartphone brands were Vivo, Xiaomi and Samsung, collectively holding 53 per cent of the market. Vivo surpassed Samsung to claim the top spot with a 16.2 per cent market share, while Samsung's share dropped to 15.6 per cent in the first quarter of CY2024, down from its peak of 20.1 per cent in the same period of CY23.

"Several new launches across multiple price segments happened during the quarter, coupled with increased promotional activities, particularly around premium offerings. Brands continued their focus on microfinancing schemes to drive affordability. eTailers organised several sales events and offered discounts on models nearing their end-of-life (EOL), resulting in increased demand and lean inventory,” said Upasana Joshi, Senior Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

Realme, Oppo Collectively Captured 30% Share In Entry Segment 

Following the super-premium segment, the entry-premium ($200<$400) segment captured a 23 per cent share, marking a 25 per cent year-over-year increase from 20 per cent. Oppo and Realme collectively gained a substantial market share, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of this segment.

Twenty-three million 5G smartphones were shipped in the quarter. The share of 5G smartphone shipments increased to 69 per cent, up from 46 per cent in 1Q23, while 5G smartphone ASPs dropped to $337, a decline of 21 per cent YoY in 1Q24. Within 5G, shipments of the mass budget ($100<$200) segment grew three times to reach 46 per cent share.

Xiaomi’s Redmi 13C, Vivo’s T2x, Samsung’s Galaxy A15, Vivo’s Y28 and Apple’s iPhone14, were the highest shipped 5G models in 1Q24.