Indian smartphone market shipped 64 million units in the first half of 2023, 10 per cent lower than the shipments in the first half of 2022, data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) showed on Friday. At 34 million units, the shipments were down 3 per cent in the quarter that ended on June 30 as compared to the same quarter last year.

However, the shipments were 10 per cent higher as compared to the previous quarter, which ended on March 31.

The share of smartphones priced below $200 declined to 65 per cent from 70 per cent a year ago. The mid-range segment, priced between $200 and $400, remained flat with a 22 per cent share. The mid- to- high-end segment, priced between $400 and $600, with a 5 per cent share, grew by 34 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2023.

The premium segment with a price above $600 grew the highest, up 75 per cent year-on-year (YoY) reaching 9 per cent market share.

“Consumers are opting for premium offerings, driven by easy and affordable financing options. IDC expects this growth momentum to continue in the upcoming months in 2023,” said Upasana Joshi, research manager of Client Devices, IDC India.

The data added that 17 million 5G smartphones shipped with an average selling price (ASP) of $366 in the quarter. It was down 3 per cent YoY.

Samsung, Vivo and OnePlus were the leaders in the 5G segment with a combined share of 54 per cent. Apple’s iPhone 13 and OnePlus’ Nord CE3 Lite were the highest-shipped 5G models in the quarter, IDC data showed.

Shipments through the online channel dropped by 15 per cent YoY, while the offline channel grew by 11 per cent. Currently, the majority of sales of smartphones, at 54 per cent, are sold through offline channels. “Relatively lower shipment for the online-heavy players such as Xiaomi and Realme intensified this drop,” IDC said.

As of June 30, the highest market share in all smartphone shipments was held by Vivo at 16 per cent. It was followed by Samsung at 15.7 per cent and Realme at 12.6 per cent.

Apple’s market share was 5.5 per cent.

The highest growth in shipments was observed in Poco at 76.5 per cent. It was followed by Apple and OnePlus at 61.1 per cent each.

“The remarkable surge in demand for POCO’s cutting-edge smartphones has propelled the company to new heights, surpassing all previous records,” said Himanshu Tandon, country head at Poco India.

“In the upcoming festive season, the brands will try to spur consumer demand with affordable 5G launches, pre-booking offers, and loyalty/upgrade programs clubbed with festive discounts. The market requires strong double-digit growth in the next few months to see annual growth in 2023, which looks unlikely as of now,” said Navkendar Singh, AVP of Devices Research at IDC.