162 million units in the whole year! Low-end suppliers are driving smartphone shipments in India

Canalys reported that despite supply chain constraints, Indian smartphone shipments increased in the fourth quarter of 2021, driven by Realme and suppliers outside the top five, up 2 percent year-on-year to 44.5 million units.

Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasi said competition intensified as new competitors emerged in the low-end market, many of which gained momentum in the fourth quarter.

Chaurasi noted that JioPhone Next made a good start, selling millions of units, and that Infinix Mobile and Tecno Mobile have effectively used branded promotions on Amazon and Flipkart e-commerce platforms.

He explained that suppliers are forced to adapt to the changing environment by focusing on omnichannel, diversifying supply chains and expanding their product portfolios.

Realme's shipments rose 49 percent to 7.6 million units, its market share rose 5 percent to 17 percent, and it rose from fifth to third.

Shipments from suppliers in the "Other" category increased by 263.2% to 8.5 million units, more than doubling their market share to 19%.

Xiaomi's shipments fell 22.5% to 9.3 million units, maintaining its number one position despite a market share drop from 27% to 21%.

Samsung still ranked second with 8.5 million units shipped, down 7.6 percent and its market share fell from 21 percent to 19 percent.

Vivo fell from third to fourth, with shipments down 27.3% to 5.6 million units and market share falling from 18% to 13%.

Oppo ranked fifth, with market share down from 14 percent to 11 percent and shipments down 19.7 percent to 4.9 million units.

Indian smartphone shipments rose 12% to 162 million units. Chaurasi said the market was "plagued" by the COVID-19 pandemic's "volatile consumer demand and supply chain disruptions."

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