India smartphone market contracts but Samsung maintains leadership in Q1 : CMR

NEW DELHI: Samsung retained its leadership in the India smartphone and overall market even as smartphone market contracted 7 per cent sequentially, in January to March quarter 2015, analysts at CyberMedia Research said Tuesday.

India’s mobile handsets market declined 15 per cent in terms of overall shipments over Q4 2014, to 53 million mobile handsets of which, 37 per cent (19.5 million) were smartphones, CyberMedia said. Featurephone shipments declined 18 per cent sequentially.

No 1 Samsung’s share increased in the smartphones segment at 27.9 per cent, up from 23.7 per cent in 4Q of 2014. The company has been able to garner a higher market share in featurephones during the first quarter of 2015 as compared to the previous quarter. Samsung’s ability to add to its portfolio in all the major price segments within smartphones, by launching new models in each of the entry-level, mid-range and high end segments of the market contributed to this increase.

Micromax, at No 2, registered a decline to 12.1 per cent in terms overall mobile handset shipments, while in the smartphones segment its market share was 16.2 per cent as compared to 14 per cent and 17.8 per cent in 4Q 2014, respectively. “What is worrisome for the brand is its widening gap with Samsung, the market leader," the research firm said.

Faisal Kawoosa, Lead Analyst, Telecoms Research at CMR said, “With major announcements of new handsets and entry of some new brands happening in a big way in 4Q CY 2014, there wasn’t really something very exciting in the market for customers that could push up sales in 1Q CY 2015. At the same time, change in duty structure and the consequent impact on the supply chain due to the Chinese New Year festivities contributed to the market contraction."

No 3 Microsoft consolidated its position with 9.6 per cent share in 1Q CY 2015, compared to 10.8 per cent in the previous quarter for the overall mobile handsets market.

In smartphones, Intex was No 3 with a 9.2 per cent market share in 1Q CY 2015.