Samsung has been in fierce competition with Chinese firm Xiaomi in India over the past few years. Sometimes, it is Samsung that comes out on top, and sometimes it is Xiaomi. In 2022, Xiaomi narrowly surpassed Samsung, but the South Korean firm has managed to come out on top in 2023, at least according to the latest numbers from research firm Canalys.
Samsung defeated Xiaomi in the Indian smartphone market in 2023
According to a report from Canalys, Samsung shipped 7.6 million smartphones in India during Q4 of 2023, capturing 20% of the market share. Its shipments grew 14% in Q4 2023 compared to Q4 2022. Xiaomi shipped 7.2 million (18%) smartphones, while Vivo shipped 7 million (18%) smartphones. Realme shipped 4.5 million (12%) smartphones, while OPPO shipped 3.7 million (10%) phones. Overall, the Indian smartphone market grew 20% in the fourth quarter of last year compared to the fourth quarter of 2022.
When you look at yearly numbers for the year 2023, Samsung shipped 28.4 million smartphones, capturing a 19% share of the market. That's 1% fewer shipment numbers compared to 2022, when it shipped 28.4 million devices. Vivo ranked second in the market with 26.1 million smartphones and an 18% market share, growing 3% compared to yearly figures from 2022. Xiaomi ranked second with 25.1 million shipments and a 17% market share. The Chinese firm's shipments dropped a massive 15% compared to 2022. Realme shipped 17.4 million smartphones in 2023, capturing a 12% market share. Its shipments also dropped a massive 16% compared to the shipments it achieved in 2022.
The overall smartphone market in 2023 dropped 2% compared to 2022. Overall shipments of smartphones in India remained at 148.6 million, which is slightly lower than 151.6 million units in 2022. Samsung set aggressive retail sales targets for the Galaxy S23 and received a very good response from consumers. According to some reports, the sales of the Galaxy S23 series were 1.4x higher than the Galaxy S22 series in India. The Galaxy S23 FE, which launched in the last quarter of 2023, also helped Samsung thanks to attractive discounts through banking deals.
Sanyam Chaurasia, Senior Analyst at Canalys, said, “The premium segment witnessed robust growth, thanks to easy financing options, incentive schemes for retailers, and rising disposable income. With the celebration of Diwali in November 2023, Apple got the opportunity to push the latest iPhone 15 series during the festive sales, contributing more than 50% to its shipments in Q4. Additionally, discounts on the previous-generation iPhone 14 and iPhone 13 models during online sales resulted in Apple’s record shipments, allowing it to capture a 7% market share in India. Similarly, Samsung had set aggressive retail targets for its premium Galaxy S23 series to drive premium segment growth. Along with this, Samsung’s latest Galaxy S23 FE launch in Q4 drove shipments, thanks to compelling banking deals.”
Apple is now a growing threat to Samsung in India. The company started making iPhones in India a few years ago, and it is now selling older iPhones at massive discounts during sales. The company captured 7% of the Indian smartphone market, but looking at its high ASPs (Average Selling Price) for iPhones, a large part of the premium smartphone market in India is ruled by Apple. Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 series in India two days ago, and it is aiming to weaken Apple's hold on the Indian premium smartphone market. The Galaxy S24 series features several AI features through Galaxy AI, and you can look at those features in our video below.
