India’s smartphone market experienced a decline of 10 percent YoY (year-over-year) in the first half of 2023, shipping a total of 64 million units, as stated in a report released by the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
Quarter 2, 2023 performance
In the second quarter of 2023, the market saw a growth of 10 percent over the previous quarter but declined by 3 percent YoY, shipping 34 million units. The decrease in shipments was attributed to vendors and channels focusing on clearing inventory through discounts, special schemes, and price drops ahead of the festive season in the latter half of the year.
Changing dynamics in Average Selling Price
Despite several quarters of growth, the average selling price (ASP) of smartphones declined by 8 percent QoQ but grew by 13 percent YoY, reaching US$241 in the second quarter. The share of smartphones in the sub-US$200 segment declined from 70 percent to 65 percent compared to the previous year, showing an 11percent YoY dip. The mid-range segment (US$200<US$400) remained stable with a 22 percent share, while the mid-to-high-end segment (US$400<US$600) grew by 34 percent YoY in second quarter of 2023 , holding a 5 percent share. The premium segment (US$600+) exhibited the highest growth, with a 75 percent YoY increase and reaching a 9 percent share.
In the second quarter of 2023, 17 million 5G smartphones were shipped with an average selling price of US$366, representing a 3 percent YoY decrease. Samsung, vivo, and OnePlus were the leading brands in the 5G segment, commanding a combined share of 54 percent. The highest shipped 5G models in this period were Apple’s iPhone 13 and OnePlus’ Nord CE3 Lite.
Also read: Amazon Great Freedom Festival Sale 2023: Best deals on smartphones under ₹20,000
Channel and brand performance
Overall, shipments to the online channel experienced a decline of 15 percent YoY, while the offline channel saw growth of 11 percent, capturing a 54 percent share. The online-heavy players, such as Xiaomi and realme, contributed to the decline in online channel shipments, reported IDC.
Among the top ten smartphone brands, Apple registered a massive 61 percent YoY growth with the highest average selling price of US$929. “We continued to see strong results in emerging markets, driven by robust sales of iPhone with June quarter total revenue records in India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE,” said Apple’s CEO Tim Cook in the company’s earnings call. Apple grew by “strong double digits” in India.
OnePlus also achieved healthy growth of 61 percent, although its average selling price dropped by 14 percent YoY to US$346. POCO, with its affordable C series models, saw the highest growth rate.
Market Leaders
Also read: Oppo A78 debuts with 50MP rear camera and Snapdragon 680 processor: Details
In the market leadership race, vivo (excluding iQOO) emerged as the top brand, driven by its V series models, closely followed by Samsung, which focused on the growth of its higher-end portfolio.
The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
Updated: 04 Aug 2023, 11:08 AM IST
