Led by Xiaomi, Chinese brands captured 74 per cent share in the Indian smartphone market in the third quarter (Q3) from July to September, as overall shipments declined 2 per cent (on-year) to reach over 52 million units, a new report showed on Thursday, October 28. Xiaomi led the market with a 22 per cent shipment share while Samsung captured the second spot with a 19 per cent share.

Samsung led the mid-to upper-tier price segment (Rs 10,000-Rs 30,000) with a 25 per cent market share while OnePlus registered its highest ever shipments in India (Its Nord series cumulative shipments crossed 3 million units), according to the report from Counterpoint Research.

"The consumer demand outweighed the supply due to the high pent-up demand. Keeping in mind the global component shortage, most of the brands were aggressively working to secure enough stock for the festive season," said senior research analyst Prachir Singh.

The 5G smartphone shipments crossed the 10-million mark for the first time in Q3 2021. Vivo became the top 5G smartphone brand for the first time, followed by Samsung, OnePlus and realme.

Online channels captured around 55 per cent of the smartphone shipments during the quarter. realme led the 5G segment in the sub-Rs 20,000 price tier with the highest-ever shipments. It captured the fourth position with 14 per cent share while Oppo took the fifth position with 10 per cent share.

"The smartphone market continues to show signs of resiliency and the quarterly numbers would have been even higher if not for the component shortages that escalated during the quarter," the report noted.