Samsung and Apple Dominate India’s Festive Smartphone Sales with Record Growth

The festive season in India started when top smartphones Samsung and Apple emerged as the winners from September 26 — October 6. Both Flipkart’s Big Billion Days and Amazon India’s Great Indian Festival sales saw massive discounts, supported by high-decibel marketing campaigns which collectively sold 36 million smartphones over the festive season.

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According to estimates from Counterpoint Research and TechInsights, the company also took first place following volume or value sales. A key sponsor for sales on Flipkart and Amazon, the Korean tech giant went all out across price categories with aggressive deals to dominate both by volume sales registering a 17% year-on-year growth and market share at over 20%, though some estimates peg it ranging between 17-18%.

Successive quarters of profitable mobile phone sales are a boon for Samsung, which is under fierce competition at the lower end from Chinese brands such as Xiaomi and Vivo, as well as premium competitors Apple. Apple came at number two with a 16% market share and witnessed a significant growth of 44% in volume sales. The sales period included the first 11 days for the iPhone 15, which alone reached one million units.

Chinese smartphone giants are following as Apple shifted to the second spot in 2024 from fourth this year, buoyed by the launch of the iPhone 16 series and franchise notching significant success,” Counterpoint Principal Analyst Prachir Singh said. There were over a million devices sold in the premium smartphone segment (₹70,000+), with Apple leading the way.

Initial estimates indicate $2-2.3 billion worth of smartphones were sold online, with Amazon capturing over 55% of the market share, while Flipkart accounted for the remainder. Analysts project a 10% year-on-year growth in total smartphone sales for the entire festive season, with higher-value devices contributing to an estimated 9-10% increase in value sales. Brands like Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Motorola performed particularly well on Amazon and Flipkart.

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