India is one of the world’s largest markets. In the near future, according to various calculations, it even will surpass China. So that’s logical that all big players in the tech field want to capture as large a market share there as possible. Recently, IDC released a new report concerning the Indian smartphone market in the second quarter of 2022.
According to IDC’s new report about the Indian smartphone market, Realme has become the second-largest smartphone market in this region. Though like other regions smartphone shipments are declining, this brand could climb the second position.
According to IDC, the Indian smartphone market saw a 5% quarter-on-quarter decline despite a 2.9% year-on-year increase in device shipments to 34.7 million units in the quarter, compared to 33.8 million in Q2 2021.
Meanwhile, Chinese smartphone OEMs Realme and VIVO are the biggest winners – despite market headwinds. For instance, Realme shipped 6.1 million smartphones in India in the second quarter of 2022, up 23.7%, while VIVO shipped 5.9 million units in the same quarter, up 17.4% year-on-year. As a result, Realme ranked second in India after Xiaomi. Xiaomi continues to be the absolute leader in the market. However, in this quarter, it has much lower profit margins than before.
Xiaomi’s shipments fell 28.2% to 7.1 million units in the second quarter of 2022. Two years ago, in the second quarter of 2020, Xiaomi shipped three times as many devices as Realme India shipped. At that time, the gap between Xiaomi and Realme was close to 20% points. However, now, the gap is less than 3 % points. This further highlights Realme’s strong growth in India, where Xiaomi’s shipments are actually up from two years ago. And there is a danger for Xiaomi that in the next quarter, Realme might outrun Xiaomi and become the number one smartphone maker in India. At least, currently, Xiaomi feels Realme’s breath on its neck and should take measures.