Top Smartphone Brands in Indonesia as of Q3 2021

Based on the Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker data gathered by IDC in Q3 2021, Indonesia’s smartphone shipment dropped 12.4% from 2020 with only 9.2 million units reached in the said period amidst channel disruptions and supply-side difficulties. 

Indonesia's second wave of COVID-19 pandemic peaked in July 2021, which resulted in stricter lockdown regulations that lasted for a significant part of Q3 2021. This was followed by a retail shutdown that greatly impacted the Java and Bali regions and several other key areas causing a decline in offline sales.

While Indonesia's COVID-19 restrictions started to ease in September 2021, supply shortages continued to impact overall mobile phone production and shipment, with a tighter supply of 4G smartphones as manufacturers focused on 5G smartphones. Along with increased component prices, this led to price increases for several low-end 4G handset models. 

According to Ms. Vanessa Aurelia, Associate Market Analyst from IDC Indonesia, "Vendors are being strategic in facing this difficult supply situation, with some vendors opting to replace or not release models that had more supply constraints. Some vendors started to explore other ways such as revisiting their distribution strategies to keep prices under control."

More 5G smartphone models were released in Q3 2021, increasing the share of 5G devices to 7% from 6% in the previous quarter. The average selling price of 5G smartphones, however, dropped by 27% to US$ 418 in Q3 2021, as manufacturers strived to bring budget-friendly 5G smartphones into the Indonesian market.

Top Five Smartphone Brands in Indonesia as of Q3 2021

Based on data gathered by IDC, the leading smartphone brands in Indonesia in terms of units shipped as of Q3 2021 are OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, Samsung, and realme, respectively.

OPPO managed to become #1 again by keeping a relatively steady inventory despite the supply shortages. The Chinese brand was still the leader in the low-end price category (US$ 100 < US$ 200), and this accounted for the majority of the company's shipments.

vivo became the #2 brand as it was able to grow its offline sales and maintain inventory level. vivo was able to enter the ultra low-end segment as the price of vivo Y1s dropped to below US$ 100 and the Y-Series, in general, allowed the brand to stay strong in the said price bracket.

Xiaomi shockingly dropped to the #3 spoter after two consecutive quarters of strong growth due to supply constraints and tight inventory. Despite this setback, Xiaomi still managed to become the leader of the mid-range smartphone segment (US$ 200 < US$ 400).

Samsung remained in the #4 spot while facing a decline in shipment as lockdown-induced retail shutdown led to offline sales slowdown. Thankfully, Samsung refreshed its foldable handset series in Q3 2021, which was well received by the Indonesian market.

Finally, realme landed in the #5 slot by maintaining its shipment number amidst supply shortage concerns. The Chinese brand was able to keep its momentum by releasing new C-series models with new processors and attractive features.