Lenovo topples Micromax, Xiaomi gains critical mass in India

Canalys said, "Shipments from local players Micromax, Intex and Lava all fell year on year, allowing Lenovo to move above Micromax and into second place for the first time, while Xiaomi took fourth place, more than doubling its Q2 2016 shipments. India has now clearly emerged as a growth opportunity for Xiaomi outside of its home market."

Lenovo’s focus on offline channels and Xiaomi’s move away from being an online-only vendor have clearly helped, said Doshi. Photo: Official Website

Smartphone makers in India sold over 3 lakh phones a day in the third quarter of current calendar year--highest ever. However, Indian smartphone makers like Micromax, Intex and Lava lost out to their Chinese counterparts.

Rushabh Doshi, Analyst, Canalys said, "Indian consumers are increasingly looking past local players’ smart phones in favor of international brands."

However, Samsung, despite the bad press from Galaxy Note 7 battery fiasco, continues to be the market leader in India with over 20% share.

Canalys said, "Shipments from local players Micromax, Intex and Lava all fell year on year, allowing Lenovo to move above Micromax and into second place for the first time, while Xiaomi took fourth place, more than doubling its Q2 2016 shipments. India has now clearly emerged as a growth opportunity for Xiaomi outside of its home market."

Commenting of success of Lenovo and Xiaomi, Doshi said, "Lenovo’s focus on offline channels and Xiaomi’s move away from being an online-only vendor have clearly helped. Xiaomi’s shipments grew by almost 170% year on year, with its strongest quarter taking it to fourth place in an increasingly competitive market."

Reliance Jio's LYF too seems to add to Micromax's problems.

Doshi said, "Despite its smart phone shipments halving, Micromax held onto third place, but it is coming under pressure from Xiaomi and fifth-placed Lyf."

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