Indians are buying the cheapest smartphones, 5G share in total sales increased to 81%

The Indian smartphone market has had a record performance in terms of sales in the July-September period (third quarter) of 2024. During this period, 3% more smartphones were sold in terms of number and 12% in terms of value on an annual basis. According to the smartphone tracker report of Counterpoint Research, the share of 5G mobile phones in total sales was 81%. Of these, 93% of 5G smartphones were priced at Rs 10,001-15,000. This shows that budget-friendly 5G smartphones remain the choice of Indians.

In fact, Chinese, domestic, and other global brands have kept their market shares in the Indian smartphone unchanged for the last five years. Interestingly, all efforts of Make in India to push manufacturing domestically have so far failed to curb the rise of Chinese brands in India. MediaTek also maintains the lead in the Indian smartphone chip market, holding about 54% market share, it said. Apple leads the premium smartphone segment with a 35% market lead, while Qualcomm is second with a 28% share, reflecting the growth of companies due to affordability and technological advancements.

China is suffering at the hands of US sanctions. It was preparing to blacklist Chinese Chipset makers over security red flags and data privacy. Now, Indian players have a great chance and are taking giant steps in rebuilding the chipset sector.