Xiaomi leads Indian mobile phone market in Q3; Vivo, Oppo also in top five

Chinese mobile phone companies, which have taken a big share of India’s mobile phone sector, showed no signs of weakness in the third quarter despite a market contraction.

Experts noted on Wednesday that India, with its competitive market and ample consumer demand, still offers a promising future to Chinese mobile phone companies.

The experts’ comments come as several Chinese mobile phone brands reported good business performances in the Indian market in the third quarter, statistics from Canalys, a Singapore-based technology market analyst firm, showed on Tuesday.

Xiaomi shipped more than 12 million smartphones in India in the third quarter, growing by 32 percent on a yearly basis, making it the largest smartphone vendor in India.

According to a statement from Canalys, Xiaomi took pole position for the fourth quarter in a row, further cementing its lead in the country.

A Chinese investor surnamed Wang, who focuses on cross-border investment between China and India, told the Global Times that he thinks the biggest reason for Xiaomi’s popularity in India is because they are relatively cheap.

A Chinese telecommunications expert attributed Xiaomi’s success in India to the fact that its “geek” image is welcomed by local consumers.

“Xiaomi’s localization strategies, such as adding tailored designs for local consumers in their products, as well as doing local promotion, work well in India,” Liu Xingliang, head of the DCCI Internet research institute, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Chinese mobile phone brands Vivo and Oppo shipped 4.5 million and 3.6 million units, respectively, in India in the third quarter, up by 12 percent and down by 2 percent, making them the third- and fourth-largest phone vendors in the country.

Shipments by South Korean brand Samsung slipped by 2 percent, but the company still managed to be the second-largest phone vendor in the country.

Chinese mobile phones are swimming against the tide, though, as the mobile phone sector is declining in India. In the third quarter, India's mobile phone sector contracted by 1 percent on a yearly basis, the Canalys data showed.

Liu said that India – which has a big population – is still a promising market for Chinese mobile phone vendors.

He also pointed out that competition among Chinese brands in India is good for China’s mobile industry.