Samsung dominates Indian flagship sales during Q1 2018, OnePlus follows in second

The company’s premium shipments were led heavily by its most recent flagships, the Galaxy S9 and S9+. These devices accounted for a total of 29% of all high-end sales during the period ending March 31, with the smaller variant equating for a 12% market share and the Plus-sized model proving to be the more popular of the two with 17%. Also in high demand was the South Korean company’s recently-launched Galaxy A8+ which is available as an online exclusive.

Following on from Samsung, in second place, was OnePlus. The popular brand relied solely on OnePlus 5T sales during the quarter and the company’s focus on a single device appears to have paid off – the device became the best-selling smartphone throughout the period, capturing an incredible 25% of the market for the Chinese brand. Rounding off the top-three was also Apple, who managed to capture a 20% share thanks to the popularity of older iPhone models and the relatively new iPhone 8 and X devices.

Overall, Samsung, OnePlus, and Apple were able to capture 95% of all premium smartphone sales during the three-month period. Nevertheless, the flagship segment is still in its early stages, with overall sales accounting for just 4% of all Indian smartphone sales at this point in time. Despite this, however, the trio of brands could face tough competition from Huawei and Nokia going forward, as well as number-one manufacturer Xiaomi.

source: Counterpoint Research