Samsung Electronics is struggling against fierce competition from Chinese manufacturers in the Indian smartphone market, the world’s second-largest market in terms of smartphone shipments. Xiaomi overtook Samsung to become the top smartphone vendor in India in the second quarter of this year, a notable shift from the same period last year when Samsung held the top spot. The rise in demand for mid to low-priced smartphones in India has fueled this change. Chinese smartphone makers have continued releasing various affordable smartphones, pushing Samsung down to third place in market share.
Samsung’s market share in the Indian smartphone market fell to 18.1% in the second quarter of this year, down 18.4% from a year ago, according to market research firm Counterpoint Research on August 2. The South Korean tech giant, which ranked first in the market during the same period last year, fell to third place this year. Meanwhile, Xiaomi’s market share rose by 3.9 percentage points to 18.9%, moving up two spots to claim the top position, while Vivo maintained its second-place position with an 18.8% share, an increase of 1.4 percentage points.
Chinese manufacturers are expanding their presence in the Indian market by offering affordable smartphones. Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 13 Pro in India in January for 320,000 won ($230). In June, the company added various color options for the Redmi Note 13 Pro, including red and green, to appeal to more consumers. This model features a 200-megapixel camera, a 5000mAh battery and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 gen 2 processor, making it ideal for high-end gaming.
Xiaomi also launched the Xiaomi 14 Sibi, a smartphone priced at around 700,000 won, which features three rear cameras, including a 50-megapixel main camera, a 6.55-inch AMOLED display and a snapdragon 8 gen 3 processor, for enhanced gaming and multitasking. Vivo has reportedly increased sales in the Indian market with its V30 series, which offers a 64-megapixel camera, 6.44-inch AMOLED and a 4500mAh high-capacity battery, at around 300,000 won.
In response to the mid to low-priced smartphone offensive, Samsung introduced the Galaxy M15 at around 300,000 won in April. While the model features a 50-megapixel main camera and MediaTek’s Dimensity 6100+ processor, it lags behind the similarly priced Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro in terms of camera and processor performance.
India’s smartphone market ranks second in the world after China. China led global smartphone shipments last year with 271.3 million units, followed by India with 146 million units, according to market research firm IDC. The Indian smartphone market grew by 15% year-over-year in the second quarter.
Samsung is expected to launch a range of smartphones in the Indian market in the third quarter to reclaim its leading position. The company is set to release the Galaxy M55s, which offers a 6000mAh battery and a 50-megapixel rear camera at 320,000 won. Additionally, Samsung plans to introduce the Galaxy A06, a low-cost smartphone priced at 130,000 won, with a 5000mAh battery and 15W fast charging support.
