Realme was the big winner in terms of growth in the Indian smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2021 as it reached the number three spot behind Xiaomi and Samsung. What makes Realme's growth trajectory remarkable is the fact it was the only brand which saw positive annual growth in the top five list, while the others saw a decline.
Xiaomi remained the market leader for the fourth quarter of 2021, but its annual growth slipped by a worrying 22%. Xiaomi's overall shipments stood at 9.3 million units --- It had shipped 12 million devices in the same quarter last year.
Samsung was at number two position in the quarter with 8.5 million units, with 19% overall share. Samsung's shipments declined by 7%.
Overall, the smartphone market in India achieved a record 162 million shipments in 2021, growing 12% on 2020. Following a strong comeback in Q3, smartphone brands shipped 44.5 million devices in Q4 for 2% growth, according to the data shared by market research firm Canalys.
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Innovations help Realme
Realme was the real success story of last year. For the first time, it rose to the third place in India, with a 49% year-on-year increase in volume that reached 7.6 million shipments. It now commands a respectable 12% market share.
Vivo and Oppo, with 5.6 million and 4.9 million units respectively, cliamed the fourth and fifth spots, according to Canalys.
Its analyst Sanyam Chaurasia said "Realme’s record shipment total was made possible by innovations in planning and stock management which led to good supply of mass-market smartphones such as Narzo 50A and C11."
JioPhone Next makes a good start
The report said that in the last quarter, low-end players gained momentum. Players like JioPhone Next, which aims to upgrade feature-phone users via disruptive financing options, made a strong start with several million units sold.
On the e-commerce platforms Amazon and Flipkart, brands like Infinix and Tecno efficiently leveraged brand promotional campaigns. "They also increased brand recognition on social media platforms. Infinix promoted Esports among India’s youth to highlight its key features, while Tecno used social media influencers," Canalys said.
In 2022, analyst Chaurasia added, 5G will become significantly more accessible in terms of coverage and price. Smartphones capable of 5G will fall further in price amid fierce vendor rivalry.
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