India's feature phone still dominates

According to data released by market research agency IDC, India’s smartphone shipments in the second quarter increased by 84% year-on-year, an increase of 11% from the previous quarter to 18.22 million units. As India's current feature phones account for 71% of the mobile phone market, the development potential of smart phones in the country is huge.

The data also shows that, thanks to the promotion of smart phones and feature phones, India’s overall mobile phone market in the second quarter grew by 5% sequentially, with shipments reaching 63.21 million units. The quarter-over-quarter increase in smart phones was mainly due to the fact that the price was closer to the people and that consumers were transitioning from feature phones to smartphones.

It is reported that the shipments of smartphones priced below $200 continue to grow, accounting for 81% of the total smartphone shipments in the second quarter. Coupled with the influx of Chinese manufacturers and Mozilla’s plan to launch a low-priced smart phone priced at US$50, it is estimated that the share of low-end smart phones will increase in the coming quarters.

In the second quarter of this year, ultra-large screen smart phones (5.5 inches to 6.99 inches) accounted for 5.4% of the total smartphone shipments. According to the number of light, shipments of ultra-large screen smartphones increased by 20% from the previous month. It is worth mentioning that more than half of the sales of these ultra-large screen smartphones are less than US$250. Indian domestic manufacturers dominate this field.

In the field of smart phones in India, Samsung is still in a leading position. Jaideep Mehta, IDC India regional manager, said: “Although Samsung is leading the way in smart phones, Indian company Micromax grows faster. Samsung needs to continue to actively respond to the low-end market. At the same time Samsung also needs more superior products to meet the high-end market and regain growth momentum."