Samsung has been facing a two-pronged threat to its smartphone business in India over the last couple of years. In the budget segment, Xiaomi’s Redmi devices have emerged as market favorites, putting pressure on Samsung’s shipments volume. On the other hand, another Chinese rival OnePlus has made steady progress in the premium segment, posing a threat to Samsung’s profitability.
However, the launch of the Galaxy S10 lineup seems to have given the Korean company a much-needed lead in the premium segment in the subcontinent. Speaking to IANS, Aditya Babbar, Director at Samsung India's mobile business, said the company topped India's premium smartphone market in Q1 2019 by clocking 68.9 percent volume market share and 65.9 percent value market share.
Galaxy S10 off to a good start
In March, when the S10 lineup went on sale, the company claims to have registered 76.5 percent volume market share and 77 percent value market share in the INR 30,000 and above (~$430) category. Babbar also claimed the Galaxy S10 pre-bookings were twice that of the Galaxy S9.
“As you are aware that we always share actual sales numbers, not just shipments, from German market research firm Gfk. The Galaxy S10 series with industry-first features has received a tremendous response in India and the numbers prove that,” Babbar told the agency.
It is common for companies to claim their latest and greatest flagships have been doing very well in the market. So, to get a more realistic picture of the situation, we have to wait for Samsung’s quarterly results and sales reports from market research firms. As of now, the Galaxy S10 does seem to have helped Samsung's fortunes, though. The company has regained some of the lost market share in the lucrative Chinese market as well on the back of the Galaxy S10 series.
