India has been recognised as the world's fastest-growing smartphone market, and market analysis firm International Data Corporation (IDC) has released its latest data backing the claim. Its latest quarterly report shows smartphone shipments in the country were up by 15.4 percent during the fourth quarter of calendar year 2015 compared to the same period the previous year.
According to IDC, 4G smartphone shipments surpassed 3G volumes for the first time in the quarter, with Samsung and Lenovo accounting for more than half of the 4G smartphone shipments in India in the October-December period last year. The total smartphone shipments in the country reached 103.6 million units throughout 2015, while 25.6 million units were shipped in the last quarter of the calendar year, a sequential dip of 11.9 percent over the previous quarter.
Samsung took the lead once again in the Indian smartphone market during the quarter with 26.8 percent of the total smartphone shipments. Micromax followed with 14.1 percent, but it was a great quarter for Lenovo, which, together with Motorola, overtook Intex to become the third-largest smartphone vendor in the country.
Lenovo acquired a market share of 11.6 percent after its smartphone shipments tripled year-over-year in the October-December period. Intex accounted for 7 percent market share during the same period in 2015 despite a significant 40.9 percent growth compared to the same period the previous year.
IDC also noted that online retailers played a key role in overall smartphone shipments, witnessing a 37.3 percent spike in the quarter. Chinese smartphone vendors forayed with significant force into India to tap into the country's rapid growth potential. According to Jaipal Singh, market analyst at Client Devices, Chinese vendors' smartphone shipment rose 71 percent in the quarter over the same period the previous year.
The ongoing "Make in India" campaign will contribute towards a steady growth in India, IDC noted.
"Local manufacturing should further grow in 2016 as more and more vendors are willing to benefit from lower import duties and tax structures on Semi-Knocked Down (SKD) units," Kiranjeet Kaur, research manager - Asia/Pacific Mobile Phones, IDC, said in a statement. "This year could also be the beginning of Completely Knocked Down (CKD) manufacturing in India, taking the local manufacturing to the next level."
