Indian smartphone market declined 10% YoY in H1 2023: IDC

Apple showed the strongest growth in the market with strong premium smartphone sales, growing 61% YoY, while OnePlus' grew 61%. (Representational Image)

The Indian smartphone market recorded a decline of 10 percent in the first half of 2023, compared to the same time period in 2022.

According to a report by analytical firm, IDC India, the smartphone market showed an increase of 10 percent in the second quarter of 2023, but still declined 3 percent compared to the last year.

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This along with a 7 percent decline in the first quarter, means that Indian smartphone shipments tanked 10 percent in the first half.

The market share for entry-level smartphones declined by 5 percent, while the mid-range segment remained flat at 22 percent. The mid-to-high segment grew 5 percent, and the premium smartphone segment registered the highest growth, gaining 9 percent.

Samsung, Vivo and OnePlus emerged at the top of 5G smartphone sales, with a combined market share of 54 percent. Apple's iPhone 13, and OnePlus Nord CE3 were the highest-shipped 5G smartphones in 2023.

Surprisingly, Vivo emerged at the top of the market with a share of 16 percent, Samsung was a close second with 15.7 percent and Realme took the third spot with 12.6 percent.

Oppo, Xiaomi and OnePlus made up fourth, fifth and sixth, while Apple placed number seven with a share of 5.5 percent. Poco, Tecno and Infinix rounded off the Top 10.

The online distribution channels registered a decline of 15 percent YoY, while offline sales grew by 11 percent.

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Apple showed the strongest growth in the market with strong premium smartphone sales, growing 61 percent YoY, while OnePlus' grew 61 percent.

“In the upcoming festive season, the brands will try to spur consumer demand with affordable 5G launches, pre-booking offers, and loyalty/upgrade programs clubbed with festive discounts. The market requires strong double-digit growth in the next few months to see annual growth in 2023, which looks unlikely as of now," said Navkendar Singh, AVP – Devices Research, IDC.