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Two-thirds of India's Smartphone Market, the Second Largest in the World, is Now Run by Chinese Handset Makers (venturebeat.com)
India's smartphone market, which is the second largest in the world (and one of the few markets that continues to show strong growth each quarter), is currently a key battleground for a number of phone makers from China, Taiwan, and South Korea. And increasingly, Chinese phone makers are winning. From a report: Leading the charge is Xiaomi, which last year ended Samsung's five-year-streak as the top phone vendor in the nation. The period between April and June of this year was the fourth consecutive quarter for Xiaomi as the top vendor in India, according to IDC. Xiaomi (29.7 percent market share as of Q2) has aggressively undercut the offerings of its rivals by selling inexpensive but high-quality smartphones in India. A spokesperson for the company said that India is currently its most important market.
In the second quarter of this year, four of the top five smartphone makers were Chinese, according to IDC. In addition to Xiaomi, that number includes Oppo (7.6 percent market share), Vivo (12.6 percent), and Transsion (5 percent). Together with other Chinese phone makers such as Lenovo, the group held two-thirds of the local smartphone market in the second quarter, IDC said in a report published last month. Less than three years ago, the aggregate market share of these companies was under 15 percent in India. [...] Indian smartphone makers Micromax, Karbonn Mobile, Lava, and others together held about 46 percent of the market in early 2016. Per the report, Chinese players were originally the design and hardware (ODM) partners of Indian smartphone vendors. They saw an opportunity in India, and cut the middlemen -- Indian vendors -- and started selling phones themselves. Their offerings were better and more cost-effective. Interestingly, even in the premium smartphone segment -- phones priced at $400 or higher -- OnePlus, a Chinese phone manufacturer, outperformed Samsung and Apple in India in the most recent quarter.
In the second quarter of this year, four of the top five smartphone makers were Chinese, according to IDC. In addition to Xiaomi, that number includes Oppo (7.6 percent market share), Vivo (12.6 percent), and Transsion (5 percent). Together with other Chinese phone makers such as Lenovo, the group held two-thirds of the local smartphone market in the second quarter, IDC said in a report published last month. Less than three years ago, the aggregate market share of these companies was under 15 percent in India. [...] Indian smartphone makers Micromax, Karbonn Mobile, Lava, and others together held about 46 percent of the market in early 2016. Per the report, Chinese players were originally the design and hardware (ODM) partners of Indian smartphone vendors. They saw an opportunity in India, and cut the middlemen -- Indian vendors -- and started selling phones themselves. Their offerings were better and more cost-effective. Interestingly, even in the premium smartphone segment -- phones priced at $400 or higher -- OnePlus, a Chinese phone manufacturer, outperformed Samsung and Apple in India in the most recent quarter.
Chinese smartphone makers now rule the world's largest and the second largest smartphone markets? That is incredible to say the least.
I had a Xiaomi 3S for two years, it is still a great phone, I've strapped it to the dog harness for GPS and telemetry when we're in the woods. I moved on to Note 5, also a great phone. Bonus: both are completely open handsets, no hackery to unlock and root, all kinds of roms available.
Why would I ever look at a walled-garden or a locked phone where I'm getting a lot less but it costs three times more?
if only xaomi would make a phone with a physical keyboard as awesome as the one on the keytwo
bonus if they gave it a removeable battery
What about Apple? Apple’s marketshare in India continues to fall as it hits 1% in Q2
Whoops, that's not good, in the soon-to-be world's most populous nation.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
If the capacity is good enough to last through your day without going below 50%, the chance is the phone will break before you need to change it. As for that keytwo keyboard, well, how about no.
In what way is this bad? A competitive market will choose the best economic solution: China has been chosen.
Stop lamenting the rest of the world's loss and begin competing with China on an equal footing.
Chinese needle dicks talkin' on the phone be like "ching chong chung ching chang chong".
Again with all the American articles and accusations that China are evil simply because they exist and sell things. They didn't force their high-quality high-value Android phones onto India, they freely choose to buy them because of their quality and value.
This is just another accusation-ridden lament from American interessts because they CAN NOT COMPETE. China are the masters of manufacturing and production, just accept it.
I'd owned a Micromax phone in the past, with the intention to support an Indian company. With the amount of annoying and unavoidable bloatware and advertisements they shove onto you through their sluggish devices, it's not a surprise people bitterly switch to other makers. I own A Motorola phone now and I love it!
If they donate to Trump's golf courses in south-east Asia, I'm sure they can also start making a move on the US consumer market and infrastructure. Better pay up, Huawei!
And Alibaba.
As we all know that all Chinese Handset Makers backdoor their products for their government.
Elegy For *BSD
I am a *BSD user
and I try hard to be brave
That is a tall order
*BSD's foot is in the grave.
I tap at my toy keyboard
and whistle a happy tune
but keeping happy's so hard,
*BSD died so soon.
Each day I wake and softly sob
Nightfall finds me crying
Not only am I a zit faced slob
but *BSD is dying.
iPhones are too expensive for the mass market in India, due to huge tariffs.
Sadly the Apple's of the world would rather meet their margins then make a cheaper phone. They loose in countries where the people make wiser decisions on buying technology based on what their needs and wallet can afford. Not because it has a fruit on the back of them. People in India are rather agnostic to what brand they buy, just as long as it works.
Why would I ever look at a walled-garden or a locked phone where I'm getting a lot less but it costs three times more?
Thanks to the Western Idiots, Apple & Samsung thought that everyone in the world is stupid.
Indians are not stupid.
According to the subtext of this article, a country's own manufacturers should do it. Which is bizarre, because the subtext is always that a country's own manufacturers are stupid and lazy and deserve to be run out of business by foreign competition.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
When you start with a higher price the price moves even higher.
Chinese smartphone makers are succeeding because they are focusing on marketshare only. While component makers understand this an extract profits from the underlying tech these devices are based on. That's the reason why Samsung and Sony make a lot more in semiconductors and sensors than smartphones.
Huawei is the only Chinese company that can put up a fight in that sense.
:. Ultimate Control Dedicated/VM Servers
So why not dump them on to 1.324 billion customers nation?! Huawei and Xiaomi must be raking in tons of money while trumpeting their noses at Washington and Pentagon.
Two thirds of that surveillance is controlled by China the second biggest surveillance state! Or is China third after USA? Or are USA and Russian Federation tied?
So why not dump them on to 1.324 billion customers nation?! Huawei and Xiaomi must be raking in tons of money while trumpeting their noses at Washington and Pentagon.
Senior veep Wang Xiang said it was developing US-specific smartphone models with a 2019 launch in mind. It is currently flush with Money from its IPO. The phone in my pocket is a Mi Max 2.
Kill the Satanic Monster today!
I don't know about "subtext", but the text is actually saying something a bit different, that is, that the Chinese makers have made smart partnerships that allowed them to win market share, and that includes making the smartphones in India:
In addition to expanding their retail presence in the nation, they have made major investments in local manufacturing and assembly, helping to create new jobs for Indians and opportunities for small and medium businesses... Currently over 95 percent of Xiaomi smartphones sold in India are made in India
Part of it isn't surprising in a general sense, labor costs in China have been rising consistently (https://i.imgur.com/17xTNTc.png). But the part where they rely on local marketing and logistics expertise from nimbler companies is interesting and unique. Definitely not what Apple is doing in China, for example. It is interesting how this will play out when these manufacturers become global brands. The first generation blindly followed the American way of marketing, but the second and the third one may not. And it is kind of beside the point to ask "what about the domestic makers", given the statistic about the % of phones made by a China brand, but in India.
The big takeaway for all failed parties, be that Indian, Taiwanese, Korean or US should be that customer satisfaction is most important, and where it is tied not to the "brand", but to the actual phone features, as it should be in a truly competitive market, those that identify precisely what it means and deliver it, win.
Apple isn't doing well in China either.
Having looked at the figures. I was surprised Apple is doing so well at 8%...clearly pandering to the Chinese Government is still profitable. Samsung are being demolished...and are desperate for a new strategy. Unlike Apple they are not a Chinese manufacturer. If there is news with China and Apple its they are not kicking butts and taking names. Apple only produce phones once a year, and that will hurt them the rest of the year. The fact it is only .3 percent of total market share and less than .1 to them shows that they have pretty flat growth, but are in the Game. They have a new strategy of producing a cheaper(for vendors) LCD dual sim version as a market.
Its clearly a different market from India, and Apple is not in the same position of being a blip in marketshare.
Google does lots and lots of evil. And China is the Evil Empire. The two are made for each other.
Corporatism != Free Market
Weird how that's a truism yet the iPod and iPhone were decried for their cost when they were released.
Except the Mp3 model was a disruptive product, that was significantly better than anything before, well executed against smaller competitors, copying their established interface in a market of fanatics with Media backing, and had a great store in itunes, with amazing marketing; they are a Trillion Dollar company because of its evolution. Snartphones are an established market where smartphones have better value, more innovative products, without the fanatics and Media backing. They have a worse store, running arguably worse OS; worryingly Apples only Unique selling point is IOS. They even get in trouble with consumer groups for putting old hardware in their fixed iPhones, their brand power and halo effect are ineffective, they might even care that Apples phones are produced by rioting workers and children...but worst of all they do not have Monopoly power, without any ground braking innovation. They are going to try with an LCD dual sim phone...and I am not betting against them.
They do not have to work with Trump, The carriers have the power in the US. Chinese companies are already looking at the US with greedy eyes, and are already stating they are interested in entering the market. Xiaomi Senior Vice President Wang Xiang is confident that his company will be able to enter the US market in 2019. In context of this thread they already took India by storm.
Google does lots and lots of evil. And China is the Evil Empire. The two are made for each other.
Ironically Google effectively shut down its Chinese operations after it discovered a cyberattack from within the country that targeted it and dozens of other companies. And while investigating the attack, Google found that the Gmail accounts of a number of Chinese human-rights activists had been hacked. It expected Microsoft and Apple to follow suit...but well money. At least Apple/Microsoft is there to actively censoring for the Chinese Government...because blood money.
Protip: all batteries are removable.
Are crafted by Chinese sympathizers. This story is designed to convince folks to get Chinese phones because it seems like theyâ(TM)ll be the clear winners and no one wants a loser phone.
Apple is working on the India issue, where do you think those used iPhones you sell back to apple go? They are going to start producing in India.
Other manufacturers are leaving China as well as labor gets more expensive. China will pop in less than a decade and they will be plunged into a depression the likes to world has never seen. Dont invest in China, you will lose your money
Are crafted by Chinese sympathizers. This story is designed to convince folks to get Chinese phones because it seems like theyâ(TM)ll be the clear winners and no one wants a loser phone.
Apple is working on the India issue, where do you think those used iPhones you sell back to apple go? They are going to start producing in India.
I don't think you realise that Apple are a Chinese Manufacture. Ironically you failed to read the article; 95% of phones sold in India by Xiaomi are manufactured in India. India has made it clear they do not want to be a dumping ground for Apples old phones...and at 1% who wants Apple's Loser Phone.
Many phone features are the same everywhere, and are scaled up and down in concert with pricing. The trick is to sell the same hardware-/featureset for less by making other parts of production more efficient. In the case of Apple and other hardware designers having their devices manufactured in China, that's been labour.
The mistake that executives in the West (the U.S.) have made, is, that they have let their own home-grown workforce and logistics capabilities flounder in favour of Asian countries, instead of innovating in all the facets of their production cycles at home.
And the entire LAMP stack.
We used to say this when we wore onions on our belts, as was the fashion at the time.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
In India we can get 2GB of data per day with unlimited calls and 100 sms per day for Rs 498 (less than 8 dollers) for 3 months. This makes owning cheap chinese phones(all phones are chinese either made in chiana or otherwise) very attractive. Indians are addicted to whatsup,facebook and youtube and consume a lot of $G data. A $150 android phone comes with dual sims 3 Gb ram 32GB storage with slot for sd card and removable battery. Also the cameras are decent. This is what makes tens of millions of indians buy new android phones each month and chinese manufacturers are cashing on it.
Why not only choose between Samsung and Apple. More would confuse the people, right? /s
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.