Smartphones sales declined during first phase of festive season but value crosses $3.2 billion

Smartphones sales declined during first phase of festive season but value crosses $3.2 billion
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Smartphone sales declined 3% year-on-year (YoY) during the first phase of the festive season in India between September 26 and October 7, noted Counterpoint Research. During this period, over 13 million smartphones were sold. Online channels contributed to nearly 70% of total smartphone sales.

However, the combined value of these smartphones grew by 8% YoY and crossed $3.2 billion for the first time, it said.

Premium smartphones (above ₹30,000) sales went up by 7% YoY, while the ultra-premium segment (above ₹45,000) saw 12% YoY growth because of Apple and Samsung.

Apple’s iPhone 15 and iPhone 13 were the top-performing premium smartphones on Flipkart and Amazon, respectively.

For Samsung, deals on the Galaxy S23, S23 Ultra, and S23 FE drove the premium volumes.

Sales on offline platforms picked up after October 2, and offers have also been getting better. This has reduced the urgency for consumers to buy during the initial days of the sale.

In the first phase, Samsung emerged as the best-selling brand, both in terms of volume and value. The brand captured 18% of the sales volume share and 22% of the sales value share to grow in double digits.

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 was the top-selling premium Android device.

Apple’s sales grew in single digits in terms of volume. But the value grew more due to the strong performance of the iPhone 15, the best-selling premium device during the first wave.

Outside the top five brands, Motorola was the fastest-growing during the first wave.

In the budget segment, Galaxy A14, Galaxy M35, Moto G85, Redmi 13 series and Realme Narzo series were among the top performers.

India’s festive period, which ends after Diwali, is expected to see more than 35 million smartphones being sold, a growth of 3% YoY in terms of volume and 9% YoY in terms of value, estimated Counterpoint.

The festive season contributes 20%-25% of annual smartphone sales.