According to International Data Corporation (IDC), India is the fastest-growing market in Asia-Pacific with a quarter-on-quarter growth of 27% in Q3 2014 (July – September). The market registered exceptional growth owing to festive demand and recorded a new high in smartphone shipments in Q3 2014. As a result, the Indian smartphone market outshone other emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of quarter-over-quarter growth.
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The overall mobile phone market stood at 72.5 million units in Q3 2014, which is a 15% quarter-on-quarter growth and a 9% year-on-year growth.
Q3 results reveal second consecutive quarter of more than 80% year-on-year shipment growth for Smartphone, reflecting robust end-user demand for the category in the devices market in India. The share of smartphone market in the overall mobile phone market stood at 32% in Q3 2014, which is a considerable growth over 19% in the same period a year ago.
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According to Asia-Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker (excluding Japan), vendors shipped a total of 23.3 million smartphones in Q3 2014 compared to 12.8 million units in the same period of CY 2013.
“With 6% contribution in the overall smartphone market, ‘Phablets’ (which IDC defines as 5.5- inch – 6.99-inch screen size smartphones) are observed to be hitting a plateau. On the other hand, smartphones with screen sizes between 4.5 inches and 5.5inches are seen as the sweet spot for consumer preference. Consumers need higher screen size phone to enjoy media content and with the 4G rollout expected in CY2015, we expect ‘Phablets’ segment to pick up again,” says Kiran Kumar, Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India
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Samsung: With 24% market share, Samsung continues to be the market leader in the smartphone segment. Samsung has witnessed shipment growth in Q3 2014, but the growth is noted to be lower than the industry average. Hence, there is a contraction in their market share.
Micromax: Yet another strong quarter for Micromax. Micromax’s market share has increased from 18% in Q2 2014 to 20% in Q3 2014.
Lava: Being one of the fastest-growing handset vendors, Lava has witnessed growth in both their brands, i.e. “Lava” and “Xolo”. Both the brands are currently treated as an independent line of business in the marketplace.
Karbonn: Consistent growth has been observed in Karbonn smartphone shipments. More than 85% of their shipment volume is supported by handsets priced less than $100.
Motorola: Motorola’s fresh lineup of second-generation handset fared well for the vendor, helping it cement its position amongst the top five vendors.
