Strong But Unstable
According to market research firm IDC on Feb. 25, Samsung Electronics captured 22 percent of the Indian smartphone market in the fourth quarter of last year, which placed the company in the top spot. The Korean tech giant has retained its top smartphone seller spot in India, after its penetration into the market with the Galaxy S.
Micromax was in the runner-up position with an 18 percent share. The Indian handset maker comprised 15 percent in Q1 2014, lagging far behind Samsung in market share. However, the gap between the two companies in the market sharply narrowed in the latter half of 2014.
Although Samsung successfully maintained its position as the top-ranked smartphone vendor in India, its market share continued to drop. It amounted to 35 percent in Q1 2014, but the number continued to drop last year with 29 percent in Q2 and 24 percent in Q3. Samsung's decreased market share is mainly attributable to the low-priced offensives of local companies, similar to the Chinese market.
Meanwhile, the world's largest Android phone maker retained the top position in the Indian mobile phone market with a 17 percent share. The second and third spots were taken by Micromax (15 percent) and Nokia (10 percent), respectively.