The number of smartphones shipped in India in Q1 2023 (January-March) declined 16 percent to 31 million, according to IDC.
Samsung (6.2 million), Vivo (5.4 million), Oppo (5.4 million), Xiaomi (5 million), and Realme (2.9 million) are the top selling smartphone brands in India in Q1 2023.

The ASP (average selling price) reached an all-time high of $265.

The share of higher-priced smartphones ($600+) increased to 11 percent compared to 4 percent a year ago.

5G smartphone share increased to 45 percent, up from 31 percent in 1Q22, led by Samsung which accounted for more than a quarter of the 5G smartphone shipments.

“5G smartphones continue to increase penetration in the low-end price segment and we should expect a strong 5G play in the US$150<US$300 segment in 2H23 as high-end 4G models vacate the space,” said Upasana Joshi, Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

Shipments to online channels dropped, as offline channels were backed by new model launches and attractive channel promotions in 1Q23.

Samsung climbed to the top slot after more than five years, supported by the launch of affordable 5G smartphones and the Galaxy S23 series, followed by vivo which continued to build on its omnichannel portfolio and OPPO (including OnePlus), while Xiaomi slipped to fourth slot in 1Q23.

India’s smartphone market is expected to see flat growth in 2023. “The second half of the year can bring some growth if brands bring attractive festive offerings across the channels to drive affordability. This can be facilitated by consumer optimism on the back of Cricket World Cup (hosted by India), a few key state elections, followed by Union elections in 2024,” says Navkendar Singh, Associate Vice President – Devices Research, IDC.