Realme overtakes Samsung in smartphone shipments in Q4 2021, although overall shipments decline

According to Counterpoint Research, Realme overtook Samsung to rise to number two in India’s smartphone market in the last quarter of 2021. According to the data, Realme has risen from fourth place in the Indian smartphone market during the same time last year, becoming the only smartphone vendor among the top five manufacturers in India to post growth this quarter, while all others are declining.

Realme leads the top five in Q4 2021

Realme accounted for 17% of all smartphone shipments in the Indian market in Q4 2021, according to Counterpoint Research. This number has grown from 11% market share in the fourth quarter of 2020. Xiaomi, still the leader, accounted for 21% of all phones shipped to India this quarter, up from 26%. Samsung, which held 20% in 2020 and was second on the list, gained 16% this quarter and came in third. This quarter, Vivo and Oppo were taken over by two other companies with market shares of 13% and 9%, respectively.

Counterpoint reports that smartphone shipments dropped 8% in the fourth quarter of 2021 due to worldwide supply restrictions. Despite this, India recorded a record shipment growth of 11% in 2021 to reach 169 million units. Smartphone market revenue also surged to an all-time high in 2021, surpassing $38 billion on a 27% year-on-year growth.

Prachir Singh, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint, explained the market movement by saying, “The Indian smartphone market saw strong consumer demand in 2021, making it the most successful year yet. This achievement comes in a year that saw supply constraints for a variety of reasons – the second and more dangerous wave of COVID-19, the global shortage of components, and the rise in prices due to this shortage. Strong replacement demand driven by increased smartphone availability in the mid- to high-end segments through promotions and discounts, as well as better financing options, led to an 11% year-on-year growth in 2021. Over the past two quarters, demand has outpaced supply. 2021 During Q4 2021, the smartphone market declined by 8% y/y. We expect,

Research analyst Shilpi Jain also said that local manufacturing has received a big boost thanks to the manufacturing-related incentive schemes that the Government of India is pursuing. “Local production has bounced back, accounting for 98% of shipments in 2021, up from 90% in 2020. The PLI scheme has been a great boost to the Indian mobile manufacturing ecosystem, attracting top players like Apple and Samsung to increase their Made in India. footprint and make India its export hub. Thus, in 2021, mobile phone exports grew by 26% year on year,” she added.