India smartphone shipment marginally slips 1% in Q3, says Canalys report

Smartphone shipment in the country declined marginally in the September 2018 quarter, totalling 40.4 million units as against 40.8 million units in the year-ago period, according to a report by Canalys.
 
Canalys, in its report, said Xiaomi occupied the pole position for the fourth quarter in a row with shipment of over 12 million units in the quarter. It had a 29.8 per cent market share, followed by Samsung (23 per cent), Vivo (11.1 per cent), Oppo (8.8 per cent) and Micromax (6.3 per cent).
 
“Despite strong performances by many vendors, the total smartphone market in India declined by 1 per cent year on year to 40.4 million units, primarily due to a late Diwali in Q4, which effectively slowed shipments in Q3,” the report added.
 
While Canalys claims the shipments fell marginally, a recent report by Counterpoint had stated smartphone shipments in India during the third quarter had grown by 5 per cent to 44 million units.

 
The Canalys report said Micromax's "surprise re-entry" into the top five, with 2.6 million shipments, was strongly helped by a government order from Chhattisgarh state.
 
"While Micromax is not likely to displace Xiaomi, or even Oppo and Vivo in India in the near future, its return marks a shift in the strategies of local vendors. Should more governments follow Chhattisgarh's footsteps, local vendors will find themselves relevant again, especially in increasing the crucial total available market for Indian smartphones,” analyst TuanAnh Nguyen said.