Samsung becomes the top smartphone vendor in Rs 30,000 plus premium smartphone market in India.
Samsung has toppled Apple from the top spot in India’s premium smartphone market. The South Korean giant now holds 46% of the market share in the above Rs 30,000 segment of the country's smartphone market while rival Apple is on the number two spot with 42% market share in the premium segment.
Market research firm Counterpoint states that Samsung's surge in market share is attributed to high demand of its flagship devices the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Note 4 Edge and A7. The report also states that Samsung is using its wide distribution network to sell more premium devices and could potentially sell over 1 million units in just 4 months since its launch. "In fact, India is one of the most successful markets for Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge," one industry official said. “With iPhone 6 series, the aspirational value of Apple is higher than ever before in India and the company is building demand even in tier-II cities," said senior analyst Tarun Pathak. "In comparison, Samsung is leveraging its distribution network, coupled with strong marketing, which could propel Galaxy S6 series to reach a million units in shipments quicker than iPhone 6 series in almost four months since debut.”
Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus generated almost 75% of the iPhones sold in India till now. iPhone sales reached 1 million in 7 months ended April 30th. Apple has also deemed India as a priority market and plans to open 500 retails stores in the country. The company aims to sell 2 million handsets in this financial year. "Apple will be able to cross 2 million units easily this year, which is a big deal for Apple, given that most of its handsets are priced above $500," said Karan Thakkar, senior market analyst at International Data Corporation India. "This is a large revenue generator."
In India Samsung has 28 pc market share, followed by Micromax which has a 15 pc market share while Apple has a much smaller market share at just 2%. According to a recent Gartner report, Samsung has also captured the number one spot globally. The company sold 81.1 million devices in Q1 2015 and saw a growth 19.3 pc driven by strong sales in emerging markets.
Source: ET
Follow Us
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
