Micromax beats Samsung to become India’s top smartphone vendor: Canalys [Updated]

Update:

Samsung  has released a statement saying it has 40% share of the Indian smartphone market. Citing GfK data, Samsung says it is still the no.1 in India. Here's the statement:

Samsung continues to be a clear leader in the Indian smart phones market. As per GfK data, which is based on actual sales, Samsung’s volume market share in the October-December 2014 quarter was 34.3% and the value market share was 35.8%.

According to Asim Warsi, Vice President, Marketing, Mobile business, Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd. – “In the entire year 2014, we continued to lead the market with innovative and exciting offerings. Our volume market share in the smartphone market in the year was 35.7%, which is more than double than that of the next player, while our value share was 40.2%, which is more than four times the next player. The GfK data is based on actual retail sales in 50,000-plus population cities.”

Original Story:

Domestic smartphone brand Micromax has finally overtaken Samsung to become the number one smartphone vendor in India, according to research firm Canalys.

Canalys states that Micromax appeals to mobile phone users upgrading to smartphones. The company's flagship devices are priced between Rs 9,000 to Rs 12,000 which makes it very attractive to the budget consumer. Micromax captured 22 percent of the total smartphone market in India during Q4 2014, while Samsung's share fell below 20 percent. Domestic brands Karbonn and Lava took third and fourth places in India respectively.

The report states that in Q4 2014, 21.6 million units shipped last quarter, up 90 percent year-over-year. 23 per cent of shipments were of budget devices priced under $100 (Rs 6,000), while 41 per cent were of devices in the range of $100 to $200 (Rs 6,000 to Rs 12,000) in India.

According to Canalys Analyst Rushabh Doshi, "Canalys believes catering to local market preferences will become increasingly important. Micromax has been quicker than its competitors to improve the appeal of devices, for example, by including a wide variety of local languages on its Unite phones. Lava, another domestic vendor, has launched devices that cater to the preference for greater battery life – in this case a couple of days."

Samsung which dominated the smartphone market has been slowing losing out its share in major markets. The South Korean company lost the top spot to Xiaomi in the crucial Chinese market and was later pushed to third place as Apple grabbed the top spot.

A recent report by Canalys also stated that global tablet shipments fell for the first time in Q4 2014 due to the increasing demand of large screen phones. Apple iPad sales fell 18 pc due to the huge demand for its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus phablets in Q4, 2014. Samsung has also seen a decline in its annual tablet shipments by nearly 24 percent.

Source: Canalys

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Silky Malhotra

Silky Malhotra loves learning about new technology, gadgets, and more. When she isn’t writing, she is usually found reading, watching Netflix, gardening, travelling, or trying out new cuisines. View Full Profile