India’s smartphone market declines in 2020 after witnessing years of growth: IDC | HT Tech

India’s smartphone market declines in 2020 after witnessing years of growth: IDC

The research firm states that the handset market in the country fell by almost 2% YoY with 150 million units.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Feb 15 2021, 18:50 IST
Representational image.
Representational image. (Unsplash)
Representational image.
Representational image. (Unsplash)

India, the country that has seen years of growth in the smartphone market, for the first time in years faced a market decline in 2020, as per the latest report by IDC. The top five vendors of the year were Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo, Realme and Oppo. While Xiaomi's performance was led by the Redmi sub-brand, Samsung saw some success with the Galaxy M series. Vivo had a strong growth in the offline channel, whereas Realme saw an impressive growth in online sales and with affordable C-series phones.

The research firm states that the handset market in the country fell by almost 2% YoY with 150 million units. “Stay-at-home mandates, remote work, remote education, travel restrictions, and manufacturing shutdowns led to a sluggish H1'20 (-26% YoY decline), particularly impacting 2Q20. However, H2'20 recovered, with 19% YoY growth, as markets reopened gradually,” stated the report. It added that the 4Q20 (October-December) time frame witnessed record shipment of 45 million devices, with 21% YoY growth.

Also read: Record 100 mn smartphone shipped in H2 2020 in India: CMR

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However, IDC predicts that a stronger market acceleration in 2021 will be led by upgraders. “The rebound of the smartphone market in the latter half of 2020 underscores the importance of devices in our day-to-day lives. In 2021, IDC expects the smartphone market to grow in high single-digit YoY, driven majorly by upgrading consumers, in the mid-range segment and affordable 5G offerings (~US$250). Also, revamped offline channel play is anticipated, to bring back growth in the very important brick and mortar counters for long term sustainability,” says Navkendar Singh, Research Director, Client Devices & IPDS, IDC India.

Talking about the handsets, IDC adds that MediaTek processor-based smartphone shipments led with a share of 43%, closely followed by Qualcomm at 40%.

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First Published Date: 15 Feb, 18:50 IST
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