Vivo Surpassed Samsung To Become Second-Biggest Phone Vendor In India In Q4 2019

According to a report from Counterpoint Research, the phone market in India has officially surpassed the United States, becoming the second-biggest market in the world after China. The remarkable growth of the phone market in India is largely due to the mid-range smartphone segment from Chinese brands such as Vivo, Realme, and Xiaomi. Not only that, India also has the second-highest number of total smartphone install bases in the world. 

The fourth quarter of 2019 witnessed many changes in the smartphone brand position in the Indian market. Specifically, Xiaomi still leads the market with a massive market share of 27%. In the second position, Vivo has made a big leap, surpassing Samsung and becoming the second-biggest manufacturer in the region. Vivo's market share has increased from 10% in 2018 to 21% in the fourth quarter of 2019, while Samsung's market share dropped to 19% in the same period.

Vivo's incredible growth in the Indian market is due to the Vivo U and Z series. The company has implemented a new business strategy, focusing on e-commerce and offering a high commission to retailers to promote their brands.

Realme's market share dropped significantly in Q4 2019, falling from 16% (third quarter of 2019) to 8% in the fourth quarter of 2019. As a result, OPPO quickly surpassed Realme to become the fourth-biggest phone vendor in the last quarter of last year. OPPO's market share rose from 8% (Q3 2019) to 21% in Q4 2019, it shipped nearly twice as many phones compared to Q3 last year.

In short, Xiaomi and Samsung still hold the first and second positions in 2019. Vivo has achieved spectacular success compared to 2018 and Realme holds the title of the fastest-growing phone manufacturer in 2019 in India. OPPO, on the other hand, has grown slowly, while Huawei and Motorola are losing ground.

In your opinion, will Vivo be able to overtake Samsung in the Indian market in 2020?