Xiaomi Led The Indian Smartphone Market In Q2 2021 With A 28% Shipment Share: Counterpoint Report Indian smartphone market stays resilient during second COVID-19 wave, crosses 33 million shipments, and registered its highest ever shipments in H1 2021

India's smartphone shipments grew 82 per cent y-o-y to reach over 33 million units in Q2 2021, according to the latest research from Counterpoint's Market Monitor service.

"Smartphone shipments witnessed low volumes during April and May. However, the market saw a pent-up demand in June as restrictions were lifted and stores started to reopen. Offline-centric brands were more affected during April and May as consumers preferred online channels for purchases. Brands like Xiaomi and realme were able to maintain high volumes leveraging their better online reach. Due to the multiple use-cases and functionalities, the smartphone has become an integral part of daily life and a necessity. The pent-up demand witnessed in June is a testament to that," commented Prachir Singh, senior research analyst, Counterpoint, while commenting on the market dynamics.

However, the market declined 14 per cent sequentially due to a fall in consumer sentiment during the second COVID-19 wave. But the decline was less than expected due to the resilient nature of the smartphone market.

"Chinese brands held a 79 per cent share. Xiaomi (includes POCO) led the market with a 28 per cent share, followed by Samsung, vivo, realme, and OPPO. The Redmi 9 series, as well as the Redmi Note 10 series, drove the shipments for Xiaomi while online-heavy Galaxy M-series and F-series drove the shipments for Samsung. The share of 5G smartphones is constantly increasing, crossing 14 per cent in the June-ended quarter. realme was the top 5G smartphone brand with a 23 per cent share, followed by OnePlus. OnePlus led the premium smartphone market (INR 30,000) with a 34 per cent share, driven by the newly launched OnePlus 9 series. To expand and serve their consumer base, many brands started home delivery of smartphones during lockdowns via digital platforms like WhatsApp," explained Monika Sharma, Research Analyst, Counterpoint, while commenting on the competitive landscape and brand strategies.

India's mobile handset market grew 74 per cent y-o-y in Q2 2021 but declined 28 per cent QoQ. The feature phone market declined 50 per cent QoQ with the second COVID-19 wave reducing the disposable income of its consumers, who mainly reside in tier-III and IV towns, and rural areas. itel led the feature phone market with a 24 per cent share, followed by Jio, Lava, and Samsung. This is the seventh consecutive quarter where itel led the feature phone market.