India smartphone market at record high, pandemic hits cheaper phones

New Delhi, Nov 5 : While the India smartphone market registered double-digit growth in the third quarter this year and reached highest-ever levels with 14 per cent (on-year) growth, the overall feature phone grew marginally, primarily because consumers at the bottom of the pyramid continue to be sharply affected by the pandemic, a new report said on Thursday.
According to the latest research from CMR “Mobile Handset Market Review Report for Q3 2020,” Samsung emerged as the top smartphone brand as well as and top mobile brand in the September quarter.
From affordable to mid-tier to premium segment — Samsung posted a strong YoY growth across price tiers.
“In Q3 2020, the smartphone market offset the ongoing pandemic-related challenges in H1 2020 and grew handsomely. Across price bands, smartphone brands unveiled competitively priced strong offerings,” said Amit Sharma, Analyst-Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR.
“We estimate the smartphone demand to outstrip other product categories during the festive climate, despite cautious discretionary spending being low”.
The smartphone market grew on the back of attractive pre-festive season launches, aggressive marketing, and attractive promotions and discounts by all the leading smartphone brands in the run-up to the festive season.