 "4G phone shipments cross 3G's for 1st time")
India’s top smartphone brand Samsung holds 26.8 per cent market share, up 4.8 per cent year-on-year. Micromax held the second spot. Its share declined to 14.1 per cent from 18 per cent a year ago. “The vendor (Micromax) is facing tremendous competition from both home-grown and China-based vendors at different price points under Rs 13,000 ($200),” IDC wrote in its report.
Chinese firm Lenovo toppled Indian maker Intex from the third spot during the quarter. Lenovo holds 11.6 per cent share of the market, followed by Intex, 9.4 per cent. Lava held on to the fifth spot, with no change in share. Fourth-generation-(4G)-enabled smartphone shipments stood at 13.9 million units, accounting for more than half of the market in the December quarter. Fourth generation (4G) is a mobile communications standard intended to replace 3G (third generation), allowing wireless internet access at a much higher speed. Third generation (3G) is a mobile communications standard that allows mobile phones, computers, and other portable electronic devices to access the internet wirelessly. “Fourth-generation smartphone shipments surpassed 3G volumes for the first time, primarily led by Samsung and Lenovo. They together accounted for more than half of 4G volumes,” said Karthik J, senior market analyst, client devices, IDC. Chinese smartphone vendors gained significant market share in India last year. These vendors together hold over 22 per cent of the market compared with 15 per cent in December 2014. “As the smartphone market in China begins to slow, most vendors are looking for avenues to leverage India’s potential. The internet negates the need for distribution,” Karthik J added.