Top Five Smartphone Brands in India as of Q3 2021

Based on IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker data gathered in Q3 2021, India's smartphone market registered a year-over-year decline of 12% from June to September 2021 with 48 million units shipped after four consecutive quarters of growth. 

The said decline can be attributed to component shortage and to an unusually high Q3 2020 comparison base. Interestingly, compared to Q3 2019, 3Q21 actually grew by 3% as channels stocked up for the Diwali quarter in the face of the supply shortages.

To quote Mr.  Navkendar Singh, Research Director, Client Devices & IPDS, IDC India. "The first nine months of the year already shipped 120 million units, with H1 2021 clocking 42% YoY growth. Due to supply challenges, Q4 2021 is expected to see a decline, resulting in annual shipments below 160 million in 2021."

He added, "The first half of 2022 will remain challenging, with some easing out expected in the latter half of 2022. Vendors/channels will keep an eye on the over-stocking situation in case demand stays limited due to the price hikes by the suppliers and vendors."

Top 5 Smartphone Brands in India as of Third Quarter of 2021

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

Xiaomi remained at #1 despite a 17% year-on-year shipment decline. Poco, Xiaomi's sub-brand exclusive to online stores, saw a high 65% YoY growth. Amazingly, 72% of Xiaomi's shipments were concentrated in online shopping sites, with its market share at 32%. Xiaomi Redmi 9A/9 Power/9/Note10s were the major volume drivers for the Chinese brand along with the best-selling Poco M3 and Poco C3.

At #2, Samsung registered the highest YoY decline amongst the top 5 vendors at -33% in the third quarter of 2021. With focus on the Samsung Galaxy M and F midrange series, 49% of the Korean Giant's shipments were sold online, allowing the vendor to take 16% share. However, entry-level models like the Galaxy A22/A12, which were mainly sold offline, accounted for 23% of Samsung's overall shipments. The opening quarter for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 flagship models witnessed a demand surge but their sales suffered due to supply constraints. Despite all that, Samsung still managed to get the top position within the 5G segment with its new releases.

vivo was at #3 with an annual shipment decline of 13% coming from 2020. Nevertheless, the brand continued to cement its offline presence with a 30% share. Additionally, vivo strengthened its portfolio in the US$200-300 price segment with its V and iQOO entry-level series as well as its effective marketing campaigns for the vivo X series.

#4 realme had the best performance of the top 5 brands in terms of year-on-year shipment with just a 5% decline. Amazingly, realme is the second best-selling smartphone vendor in online stores with a high 22% share. The realme C11 2021 as well as the realme 8 4G and 5G models were the brand's top sellers in Q3 2021.

The #5 brand in this list is OPPO, which saw a 16% YoY decline in shipments in third quarter of 2021. Nonetheless, in the US$300-500 price bracket, OPPO landed in the second slot with an 18% share, which was driven by high shipments for the OPPO Reno 6 series.