
Photo: VCG
Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi retained its status as the biggest smartphone vendor in India last year despite a modest contraction in shipments.
In 2020, Xiaomi shipped 41 million smartphones in India, down 6% year-on-year, giving it a market share of 27%, according to research firm IDC.
“Xiaomi’s performance in 2020 was led by its affordable Redmi 8 series, gradually replaced by the Redmi 9 series in the second half of 2020,” IDC said, attributing its annual shipment decline to supply shortages.
Xiaomi’s three Chinese peers — Vivo, Realme and Oppo — all made the top five list of smartphone suppliers, ranking third, fourth and fifth respectively with market shares of 18%, 13% and 11%. Unlike Xiaomi all three saw their shipments grow last year, with Realme enjoying the biggest year-on-year growth of 19%, according to IDC.
South Korea’s Samsung took the second spot with a market share of 20% although its shipments declined 4% year-on-year to 29.7 million units.
Overall, India’s smartphone market logged a year-on-year decline of 2% in shipments to 150 million units in 2020, which IDC largely attributed to sluggish demand in the first half, when shipments nosedived 26% year-on-year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the second half of 2020, shipments rebounded with a year-on-year increase of 19%, as markets gradually reopened, IDC said.
Contact reporter Ding Yi (yiding@caixin.com)
Related: In Depth: Chinese Firms Take U.S. Government to Court to Undo Trump-Era Bans