India saw the shipments of 201 million mobile phones (smartphones and feature phones) in 2022, a 12 per cent decline (year-on-year), a report showed on Friday, February 10. According to the IDC, the India smartphone market exited 2022 with 144 million shipments (the lowest since 2019), with a 10 per cent decline YoY.
Feature phone shipments stood at 57 million, a drop of 18 per cent YoY. Samsung, Xiaomi and Transsion were the leading companies in the total mobile phone market.
The fourth quarter of 2022 declined 27 per cent YoY as shipments fell to 30 million units. Despite multiple price discounts and channel schemes, high inventory levels after Diwali restricted new shipments.
Dwindling consumer demand due to high inflation remained a challenge throughout the year despite the improved supply situation.
"The entry-level segment (sub-$150) shrank to 46 per cent of the market, down from 54 per cent a year ago. The dearth of new launches in this critical mass segment was a barrier for new smartphone users, thus limiting the overall market's growth," said Upasana Joshi, Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.
Shipments to online channels dropped by 6 per cent YoY, though with a record-high share of 53 per cent. The offline channel declined by 15 per cent.
The share of MediaTek and Qualcomm-based smartphones dropped while UNISOC's share doubled to 14 per cent, with significant volumes coming from realme and Samsung in the entry-level 4G segment.