Samsung is poised to end Xiaomi’s long reign at the top to become the no.1 smartphone brand in India in terms of shipment volumes in 2023, analysts at Counterpoint Research predicted.
Citing multiple headwinds for Xiaomi, Counterpoint forecasted that Samsung will capture 18% market share next year from 17% presently to grab the pole position.
In contrast, Xiaomi’s share is likely to slip to 15% in 2023 from 16.6% in Q3 2022 amid regulatory troubles, allowing Korean rival Samsung to take advantage after being neck-and-neck so far.
This would mark a tectonic shift in India’s smartphone pecking order which has been dominated by Xiaomi at the summit since 2018, while Samsung last led in 2017 with a 23% volume share.
Counterpoint analysts said Xiaomi’s decline will also benefit third-placed Vivo, which is set to log 17% market share in 2023.
The ultra-premium segment (above Rs 45,000) too is rapidly gaining momentum, with Apple recording its best-ever quarter of 2.5 million iPhone shipments in India amid splashy launches.
Samsung’s aggressive push with its premium Galaxy S series and competitive A series has placed it perfectly to capitalize on any slip-up by Xiaomi in the mid-range.
With foldables also witnessing gradually increasing traction, 2023 promises to bring significant changes to India’s smartphone arena, said Counterpoint Research Associate Director Tarun Pathak.
