Vivo overtakes Samsung in the Indian market, Xiaomi still on top

BBK dominates the overall Indian market according to data from Canalys

Vivo no trails Xiaomi in the Indian market followed by Samsung, Realme and Oppo (Vivo)

Vivo has shipped more smartphones than Samsung in India for the first time ever in the last quarter, according to Canalys data. Vivo's sales to vendors nearly doubled year-on-year to 6.7 million units. That's 20% of the market. This has made Vivo number two in India, coming in at second place just behind Xiaomi with 10.3 million units (31% share).

Samsung is now at third place with a 14% market share having shipped 6.3 million units, just ahead of Realme and Oppo. The Indian market grew 12% year-on-year in this quarter despite the nation-wide lockdown coming into force late March.

Vivo is a BBK electronics brand and BBK also owns Realme, Oppo and OnePlus. With sales of Vivo, Realme and Oppo combined, BBK easily takes number one spot with more than 40% market share.

Canalys analyst Madhumita Chaudhary has called Vivo's rise in ranks 'bittersweet'. Vivo is the main sponsor for the Indian Premier League (IPL) and that has been postponed this year. It will therefore be harder for Vivo to "achieve its expected sell-through to consumers even if the lockdown is lifted".

However, these figures still position Vivo as a growing power band in the country even if they are unable to account for the unprecedented pandemic.