Over $3 bn worth 5G smartphones shipped in India during Q3 2021: CMR

India is still months away from the commercial 5G rollout, yet 5G smartphones shipments continued to gain momentum in the third quarter of 2021. Gaining traction across price tiers, 5G smartphones accounted for 22 per cent of the overall smartphone shipments according to CMR’s India Mobile Handset Market.
 
“Across price tiers, 5G smartphone shipments are gaining in strength, and contributing to increased affordability, availability and accessibility. With smartphone brands, such as OnePlus, OPPO, realme, Samsung and Vivo prioritising 5G, and consumers seeking to future-proof themselves, 5G continues to gain momentum. Together, these five brands shipped 5G smartphones in excess of $3 billion during Q3 2021,” says Shipra Sinha, analyst at Industry Intelligence Group, CMR.
 
Other than the 5G smartphones, there has been a robust consumer demand, resulting in 47 per cent sequential quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) growth in overall smartphone shipments in India. For instance, Xiaomi retained the number one spot with 23 per cent market share, Samsung was on the second spot with 18 per cent market share, Vivo and realme at 15 per cent share each and Oppo at 9 per cent.  However, all the top five brands registered a decline in the number of units shipped.
 
Although not in the top five, Apple shipments recorded 32 per cent growth YoY. Apple topped the super-premium (Rs 50,000- 1,00,000) segment with 84 per cent market share. The strong market performance by older-generation iPhones, including the Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 11, contributed to Apple’s success. The iPhone 12 and 11 together accounted for three-fifth of iPhone shipments. Even OnePlus shipments recorded a significant growth of 68 per cent YoY. OnePlus Nord 2 accounted for 40 per cent of OnePlus’s market share.
 
“For consumers, smartphones remain essential life drivers. As India emerged from the second pandemic wave, consumer demand for smartphones continued to remain strong. Smartphone brands sought to navigate the prevailing supply chain dynamics, by augmenting their stock supply. In doing so, they were able to offer attractive promotions and deal offers in the extended festive season sales,” added Shipra Sinha.
 
Driven by continued consumer transition to smartphones, even the feature phone segment declined 21 per cent YoY, with Itel dominating the market with 27 per cent market share, followed by Lava at 19 per cent and Samsung with 14 per cent.

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