Apple and Samsung have been rivals for years and both the companies bring their best to the market in order to outbid each other. The latest findings of market research firm GfK revealed the market share of premium flagship smartphone in India, and crowned Samsung as the leader. This has put Apple in the second spot. Apple recently unveiled its iPhone 6s series in India only to witness a lukewarm response due to high pricing.
Taking advantage of Apple's shortcomings in its new flagships, Samsung effectively dropped the prices of its Galaxy S6 series devices. Clearly, the numbers are now showing fruitful response in the country, where pricing remains a major deciding factor for many.
"As per numbers provided by market research firm GfK, our market share in the Rs 30,000 and above category is 51% in value terms at the end of the September this year. This was about 36% till about a year ago," said Manu Sharma, director (product marketing) for Samsung India, according to Economic Times.
Considering the numbers are accurate, it is a significant win for Samsung, which was baffled by the grand success of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last year. But, the festive season this year turned out to be a good run for Samsung.
Simultaneously, Apple continues to face pressure selling its iPhone 6s series in India with expensive price tags. To attract consumers, Apple has been launching different schemes such as interest-free EMIs, a senior official at a multi-brand retail store told ET.
While the numbers sit well with the current logic, industry analysts suggest taking them with a pinch of salt.
"There are a number of research firms in the market, and many of them often have different market share figures. So, one cannot be 100% sure about these figures," one of the analysts said.
