 "4G phone shipments cross 3G's for 1st time")
Online sales of smartphones surged more than 150 per cent in the December quarter to 37.3 per cent of overall sales in India. Some 25.6 million smartphones were shipped during the quarter, up 15.4 per cent from 22.2 million units in the same period last year, according to a report by International Data Corporation (IDC).
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.
Overall, the smartphone sales stood at 103.6 million units in 2015 — crossing the 100-million mark for the first time.
