With the rise of Xiaomi, Samsung may have lost some of the sheen in the budget smartphone segment in India, but the Korean giant still rules the premium category. Though few reports have pegged OnePlus ahead of Samsung in the premium segment, the decline is often momentary, with the Korean company climbing to the top again after the launch of every Galaxy flagship.
According to the German market research firm Gfk, Samsung dominated the ₹40,000 (~$540) and above premium smartphone segment in India in August with 60 percent value market share and 62.5 percent volume market share. Unsurprisingly, the strong performance is attributed to the Galaxy Note 9 which went on sale towards the end of August.
Samsung beats OnePlus and others
Samsung also apparently topped the ₹30,000 (~$400) and above category with 55.5 percent value market share and 55 percent volume market share during the same period. If the numbers are accurate, the company’s performance in this segment is particularly impressive considering brands like OnePlus, Asus, Vivo, etc. have compelling offerings in this price band.
The Korean company has recently revamped its strategy for the midrange segment, promising to pack its midrange devices with features that even its flagship smartphones may lack. The newly launched Galaxy A7 and the upcoming Galaxy A9 are born out of this new strategy and may improve Samsung’s performance in the midrange and premium segments even more.
“We are extremely happy with the way our numbers are growing. We are bullish on further consolidating our leadership position in the Indian smartphone market. Our aim is to grow at 20-25 per cent in India in the festive quarter (October-December),” said Aditya Babbar, General Manager, Samsung India, to IANS.
