Vivo Surges Past Samsung to Become No. 2

Chinese mobile brand Vivo has replaced Samsung as the No. 2 most-selling smartphone brand in India. India is a mobile hotbed with the country becoming the second-largest smartphone market in 2019 after China, and ahead of the United States. 

Although India has over 400 million smartphone users, and growing, the overall mobile phone market, with annual shipments of 282.9 million units, fell by 12.3% owing to fewer 4G feature phones, according to data released by International Data Corporation India.    

However, it was the mid-range segment of US$200-500 (Rs. 14,000-35,000) that accounted for the strongest YoY growth of 55.2%, clocking in 19.3% of the overall smartphone market.  

In India, Xiaomi leads the smartphone market, followed by Vivo and Samsung. The fourth and fifth positions are taken by Oppo and Realme, the last two brands owned, interestingly, by BBK Electronics that also owns Vivo.  

Xiaomi held its top slot with a 29% market share, up from 26.4% in Q4 2018, with reported shipments of 10.7 million units that marked a surge of 15.9%.

At No. 2, Vivo held an 18.8% share (up from 10.1%), as shipments climbed a colossal 96.5% to 6.9 million units. On the other hand, Samsung’s shipments dropped 15.4% to 5.7 million for a 15.5%.

Oppo and Realme’s shares climbed by about 5 percentage points to 13% and 12.8%, respectively, after showing acute increases in shipments to 4.8 million and 4.7 million units.

In the mid-premium (Rs.21,000-Rs.35,000) segment, Vivo is clearly the market leader with 28% share in 2019, riding on the back of the huge popularity of its V15 Pro. Vivo was followed by OnePlus at 20.2% share, owing to the latter’s OnePlus 7 model.    

In the premium (Rs. 35,000+) segment, Apple beat Samsung for the leadership position with a market share of 47.4% in 2019. Apple unleashed a bouquet of strategies, including aggressive price drops on previous generation models, bank offers on debit/credit cards, strong e-Tailer sales momentum, and a lower iPhone 11 launch price compared to the iPhone XR.

Vivo Communication Technology Co. Ltd. is owned by te China-based BBK Electronics that designs and manufactures smartphones and smartphone accessories, and delivers software and online services. 

Meanwhile, Intel and Vivo joined Sony and Amazon in withdrawing from the Mobile World Congress (MWC) owing to the coronavirus risk. Vivo, citing concerns about the health and safety of its employees and public, is holding back the debut of its new Apex 2020 concept phone from MWC. 

The Mobile World Congress, scheduled this year from 24-27 February, is the world’s biggest mobile technology trade show on the annual calendar.