Xiaomi continues to lead as India smartphone shipments decline by 5%

NEW DELHI -- Premier research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) Monday said India's smartphone shipments declined by 5 percent on a yearly basis for the third consecutive quarter, with vendors shipping 37 million smartphone units in the first quarter of 2022.

"The opening of the year was relatively slower as compared with 1Q21, due to the impact of the third wave of COVID-19, tight supplies especially for the low-end price segments, and rising inflation leading to increasing end-consumer prices," the IDC said.

According to the IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Chinese brand Xiaomi continued to lead though its shipments declined by 18 percent year-on-year. Its dominance in the online channel remained with a 32 percent share including its sub-brand POCO.

Samsung regained its second position, though it saw a decline of 5 percent in the first quarter of 2022. The opening quarter for the Galaxy S22 series witnessed a strong demand with impressive pre-bookings, especially in the offline channel. It also maintained the lead in the 5G segment with a 29 percent share, the key models being the Galaxy M32 and Galaxy A22.

Xiaomi's top volume drivers were the Xiaomi 11i series and Redmi Note 11T, the IDC said.

"5G accounted for 31 percent of shipments with an average selling price of $375 in 1Q22. IDC estimates that shipments beyond $300 will be fully 5G by the end of 2022," said Upasana Joshi, research manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

Realme was at the third slot, but emerged as the only vendor in the top five to register a growth of 46 percent year-on-year.

Another Chinese brand Vivo was number four in the list with a shipment decline of 17 percent year-on-year. With the launch of the new T series and additions to its sub-brand iQOO, its online shipments are expected to see movement in upcoming quarters.

OPPO, also a Chinese brand, fell 25 percent and was number five on the list.

"The outlook for 2022 remains cautious from the consumer demand standpoint. Due to rising inflation and lengthening of the smartphone refresh cycle, IDC expects 2Q22 also to remain muted, while smartphone supplies gradually return to normal, resulting in a slower 1H22 compared to 72 million shipments in 1H21," said Navkendar Singh, research director of Client Devices at IDC India.