Smartphone shipments grew by only 4% in Q1 2020, Xiaomi leads the race as Realme sees massive growth

As per Counterpoint Research's latest report, the Indian smartphone market shipments, despite getting affected by Covid-19 lockdown, grew by 4% annually in Q1 2020 with 31 million-unit. January and February shipments reportedly grew due to new launches and aggressive promotions. However, the industry saw a massive decline by 19% in March due to Covid-19 outbreak, limiting the overall quarter growth to 4%.

The market share in Q1 2020 was dominated by Xiaomi with 30%, followed by Vivo, Samsung, Realme, Oppo and others at 17%, 16%, 14%, 12% and 11%. As per the report, Xiaomi saw 6% YoY growth in Q1 2020 to reach its highest ever market share since Q1 2018. Vivo grew by 40% YoY in Q1 2020 due to strong performance by its Y series smartphones. Samsung got a boost due to its upgraded A and M series that came across several price tags.

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However, Realme saw the most growth by 119% YoY in Q1 2020, most of which were driven by 5i and C3. Realme's sister brand Oppo grew by 83% in the same quarter due to demand for its budget segment devices, A5 2020 and A5s.

Apple too witnessed a 78% YoY growth with iPhone 11 driving strong shipments. Different offers and discounts given by Flipkart and Amazon added to the sales. "In the ultra-premium segment (>INR 45000, around $600) it was the leading brand with a market share of 55%," adds the report.

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As for feature phones, the market saw a decline of around 24% YoY in Q1 2020. Leading the list is Itel with 22% market share followed by Lava, Samsung, Nokia, Micromax and Others at 15%, 15%, 13%, 7% and 27%.