Over the years, Samsung Electronics has always been the foreman of the Indian market, but with the arrival of some brands like Xiaomi, Samsung’s share of the Indian market has apparently been affected. In November 2017, data for Q3 2017 released by market research firm, IDC, states that Xiaomi shipped over 9.2 million smartphone units in India, an increase of nearly 300% year-on-year, with a market share of 23.5%, making it India’s most significant smartphone brand. In January 2018, Canalys and Counterpoint both released the fourth quarter of 2017 data which both shows that Xiaomi once again beat Samsung and led the mobile phone list.
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However, a Samsung spokesperson has denied the Q4 2017 claims by market research firms stating that Samsung sales in the Indian market accounted for 45% of the market share. Samsung spokesperson was very particular about the accuracy of Gfk data which measure Sales, i.e., the number of smartphones that are eventually sold from the channel to the consumer. Note that Canalys and Counterpoint research both measure shipments, ie, counting as long as the phone is shipped out of the factory.
Asim Warsi, head of Samsung India, stressed that sales are the most crucial reference dimensions. In fact, this is not the first time that Samsung is refuting statistical agencies claim. In 2015, Canalys said Indian local brand Micromax was number one in the market, and Samsung subsequently rebutted, citing Gfk’s same data as saying that its top position was stable.