Apple has reached a new milestone in terms of iPhone sales in India. The company has sold over 2.5 million units in 2016, according to a latest report from Counterpoint research. The report further revealed that a 1/3 of its total shipment coming alone from the record fourth quarter and was driven by seasonality and the launch of iPhone 7.
Apple bagged 10th position in the smartphone rankings during Q4 2016 but led the premium segment (above US$450) with 62% market share. The report further revealed that the smartphone shipments in India grew 18% annually in CY 2016 compared to the global smartphone market which grew a modest 3%. Chinese brands contributed to 46% of the total smartphone market. For the first time no Indian brand figured among the top 5 smartphone rankings. More than 83 million smartphones in 2016 were “Made in India”. In Q4 2016, 3 out of 4 smartphones were manufactured domestically. More than 7 out of 10 smartphones shipped in India were LTE capable.
As per the report Chinese brands captured a combined 46% of the total smartphone shipment in Q4 2016, up from 14% a year ago. In November 2016 Chinese brand share reached an all-time high, accounting for 51% of the total smartphone market. Chinese brands OPPO, Vivo, Lenovo and Xiaomi continued to grow at the expense of Samsung and Indian brands. Their success was attributable to a variety of factors including strong marketing and channel push, as well as better access to components that were in limited supply. As a result Chinese brands captured close to 50% market share.
The report also stated that one in three smartphones sold during the quarter were through ecommerce channels, a segment which grew 24% in CY 2016. However, demonetization has widened the usual seasonal decline from estimated 12% to 19% YoY.