India's smartphone shipments reached 162 million units in 2021, with Xiaomi, Samsung and vivo ranking in the top three

On January 24, local time, a report released by research firm Canalys stated that in 2021, shipments in the Indian smartphone market reached a record 162 million units, an increase of 12% over 2020. Among them, Xiaomi shipped 40.5 million units, ranking first with a market share of 25%. Samsung followed closely with shipments of 30.1 million units and a market share of 19%. As the only supplier with negative growth, vivo ranked third with shipments of 25.7 million units and a market share of 16%. Realme's shipments increased by 25% year-on-year to 24.2 million units, ranking fourth with a market share of 15%. OPPO ranked fifth with shipments of 20.1 million units and a market share of 12%.

Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia said: "The Indian smartphone market has changed every quarter in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic, volatile consumer demand and supply chain disruptions have plagued the market, but vendors have adapted to the changing environment by focusing on omnichannel, diversifying supply chains and expanding product portfolios. For example, vendors such as realme and Samsung have adopted diversified chipset configurations to effectively manage supply. At the same time, realme's record shipments are also due to its innovations in planning and inventory management. Due to the promotion of vaccination, market reopening and pent-up demand, India's full-year smartphone shipments reached a record high. Driven by replacement demand and new customers migrating to smartphones, it is expected to continue to grow in 2022."

The report said that due to the impact of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian smartphone market experienced a difficult start last year, but began to recover rapidly in the second half of the year. Following a strong recovery in the third quarter, despite supply chain challenges, Indian smartphone suppliers still saw shipments increase by 2% to 44.5 million units in the fourth quarter. Specifically, Xiaomi shipped 9.3 million units and ranked first with a market share of 21%. Samsung ranked second with shipments of 8.5 million units and a market share of 19%. Realme climbed to third place in India for the first time, with shipments increasing by 49% year-on-year to 7.6 million units. The fourth and fifth places were vivo and OPPO, with shipments of 5.6 million and 4.9 million units, respectively.

Competition in the Indian smartphone market is heating up with the emergence of new players in the low-end market. "In the fourth quarter, low-end players had good momentum," Chaurasia said. For example, JioPhone made a good start with millions of units sold by upgrading feature phones. On Amazon and Flipkart, Infinix and Tecno effectively used brand promotions. At the same time, they also increased brand awareness on social media platforms. Among them, Infinix promoted e-sports among young people in India to highlight its main features, while Tecno influenced consumers through social media.

"India will usher in a huge digital transformation this year." Chaurasia added that in 2022, India will bring new 5G spectrum auctions, which will lead to expanded 5G coverage and lower usage costs. Amid fierce competition among suppliers, the prices of 5G-enabled smartphones will fall further. But shipments will be suppressed in the first half of 2022 until the chip shortage eases. Overall, India will see an upward momentum in future-oriented technologies, with smartphones becoming the core of the digital ecosystem and becoming increasingly important in the daily lives of Indian citizens."