What you need to know
- Counterpoint Research says OnePlus was the number one brand in India's premium smartphone market last year.
- OnePlus' shipments grew 28% YoY in 2019, allowing it to capture one-third of the premium segment in the country.
- Samsung dropped to the second position, with its shipments declining by 2% compared to 2018.
In the second quarter of 2018, OnePlus snatched the top spot in the Indian premium smartphone segment from Samsung. After three quarters, however, Samsung regained the top spot in the country's premium smartphone market. In its latest insight into the Indian smartphone market, Counterpoint Research says OnePlus was the leader in the premium segment in 2019, grabbing one-third of the market.
OnePlus shipments reportedly grew 28% YoY in 2019, mainly due to existing users upgrading to newer models and acquisition of new customers thanks to strong word-of-mouth. In addition to an impressive growth in shipments, OnePlus was also the first and only premium smartphone brand to ship more than two million phones in a year in 2019. The OnePlus 7 Pro, with its impressive 90Hz display, was one of the main reasons behind the growth in the contribution of OnePlus's ultra-premium segment (≥₹45,000 or $634) to 25% of the overall portfolio.
Samsung, which fell to the second position in the premium segment in India last year, saw shipments drop by 2%. Despite the decline in shipments, however, strong sales of its flagship Galaxy S10+ in the country led to an increase in the ultra-premium segment's contribution to its overall premium shipments to 79% in 2019, compared to 62% in the previous year. Samsung's shipments in the ultra-premium segment also grew by 24% compared with the year earlier.
Apple was the fastest growing brand in the country's premium segment last year, with 41% YoY growth in shipments. Apple's iPhone XR was the best-selling ultra-premium smartphone model in India in 2019, followed by the Galaxy S10 Plus and OnePlus 7 Pro.
