Apple’s iPhone 13 topped the shipments charts in the third quarter (July-September) in the Indian smartphone market. This is the first for any iPhone in India, according to data by Counterpoint Research, the market analytics firm. The iPhone 13’s success comes even as the Indian smartphone declined in the third quarter on a year-on-year (basis) with lower demand for the budget and entry-level segment.
The iPhone 13’s success is not surprising in the third quarter given the heavy discounts and offers that the product saw ahead of and during the sale season. Some of the aggressive discounts coupled with exchange offers and cashback offers meant it was possible to buy an iPhone 13 for under Rs 50,000 during the sale season.
The iPhone 13’s performance also helped Apple reach its highest-ever share of 5 per cent in the Indian smartphone market. More importantly, Apple continues to lead the premium segment (above Rs 30,000) and has a 40 per cent market share.
“Apple reached its highest-ever shipment share in India and the iPhone 13 became the top smartphone model in Q3 2022, a first for Apple in India. The sub-Rs 10,000 price band continues to be under pressure due to lower consumer demand and contributed to 27 per cent of the total shipments, down from 31% a year ago,” Shilpi Jain, Research Analyst, said in a press statement.
Rest of the Indian smartphone market struggles
But the overall Indian smartphone saw a yearly decline of 11 per cent to 45 million units. “There was modest demand in the entry-tier and budget segments, we saw less than expected shipments during the third quarter. Almost all the brands were impacted, especially in the entry-tier and budget segments. The unfavourable macroeconomic conditions will continue to affect the Indian smartphone market in Q4 2022 as well, especially after Diwali. However, we may witness a demand uptick during the year-end sales,” Prachir Singh, Senior Research Analyst, said in a press statement.
Xiaomi was the overall leader, though its shipments declined 19 per cent YoY. According to Counterpoint, “weak consumer demand in the entry tier was the major factor behind this decline.” The brand was the top 5G smartphone brand in the sub-Rs 20,000 price band.
Samsung remained number two in India leading in the Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 price band driven by the strong performance of Galaxy M-series and F-series models. Vivo was number through, though it too saw a double-digit decline (15 per cent) in its shipments. Realme remained at the fourth spot with two per cent quarterly growth. The brand continues to dominate the Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 price segment with C series accounting for 55 per cent of its portfolio.
Oppo maintained its number five position–though it saw a seven per cent YoY decline. However, Oppo fared better in the above Rs 20,000 price band in the third quarter of 2022.
Meanwhile, OnePlus grew 35 per cent YoY in the third quarter, driven by the Nord CE 2 series and Nord 2T. OnePlus now leads the Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000 price band driven by its Nord portfolio.
Data from the firm also showed that one in three smartphones that shipped during the quarter was a 5G-ready device with Samsung leading the 5G smartphone segment (20 per cent share).
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