India’s smartphone market declined by -2% annually and by -10% sequentially to 43 million units in a seasonally slower Q4. 

• Xiaomi continues to lead with a smartphone market share above 20% but its Q4 volume was the lowest on record since Q4 2017. How to succeed in the high and premium tiers and evolution of retail sales remain key questions.
  
  
• Realme catapulted to second position in the Indian smartphone market for the first time ever in Q4 2021. Aggressive offline expansion complemented its traditional strength in online channels. Realme has been at the forefront of rolling out 5G capable devices in the budget segment to create a halo around the brand to engage the younger audience.
  
  
• Samsung continued its strong performance with aggressive launches and higher online orientation in its channel strategy. A key question is how to gain an upper hand in in the 5G segment?

• Oppo for now holds fifth place in India smartphone but will see its position under threat in 2022.
• Apple iPhone continued its improvement with strong growth to its highest ever market share in 20 twenty quarters.
  
  5G is surging in India, capturing 1 in 5 smartphone sales in 2021. We expect that to more than double in 2022 and be a key battlefield.
  
  
• Feature phones remain a significant market representing one quarter of handset shipments in India for Q4, 2021. However, Reliance-Jio’s re-entry into the Indian smartphone market is set to expedite the transition to smartphones.
  
  Clients to our Smartphone Country Share service can download the full report here.