Samsung Now Top Smartphone Brand Globally, Number Two in India

Samsung has also been able to capture the second spot in India and is only second to Xiaomi.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 with S Pen is back. 

(Photo: The Quint)

Samsung has regained the top spot in the global smartphone market in August after it was ousted by Chinese smartphone-maker Huawei in April this year.

The latest report by Counterpoint Research puts Samsung at the top globally as it accounted for 22 percent of the global market share. Competitor Huawei sits at the second spot with a 16 percent share.

Samsung also made a healthy recovery in India as it claimed the second spot which is its second-highest market share in August since 2018.

It is also expected that in the coming days the South Korean smartphone-maker will become the top brand in India after we saw it close the gap with Xiaomi in Q2 of 2020.

Experts say that Samsung has been able to leverage its online channels efficiently during the COVID-19 pandemic which is why it’s been able to capture a larger part of the market in Q3 of 2020.

Also, the recent geopolitical events could have a major role to play in this transformation as many India customers are backing non-Chinese smartphone brands like Samsung, Motorola, Google and even Micromax which is set to launch another sub-brand called ‘In’.

“Geopolitical policies and political affairs among nations are affecting the smartphone market in many ways. There will be heightened marketing activity to seize opportunities in these regions and segments. As a result, the concentration of top players in the smartphone market will be much stronger.”

Minsoo Kang, Research Analyst, Counterpoint Research

As per a Livemint report, smartphone vendors across the country have seen a dip in the demand for Chinese brands but what’s rather shocking is that Xiaomi, OnePlus and Realme had record sales in the past couple of months via online stores.

The combined online share of Chinese brands in India fell from 81 percent in March to 72 percent in June 2020.

Despite assembling phones in India, Chinese smartphone-makers are under immense pressure due to the ongoing conflict between India and China.

The overall smartphone market in India saw a 51 percent YoY decline in Q2 2020 which is expected to get better in the coming months during the festive season.

Counterpoint is expected to publish its full report by the end of October and we’ll get you a detailed analysis and year-on-year growth of smartphone brands in India.