New Delhi, October 10 (IANS). Premium smartphone sales continued to rise in the first wave of the festive season in India with sales growing by seven per cent (y-o-y). This information was given in a report released on Thursday.
According to Counterpoint Research estimates, more than 35 million smartphones are expected to be sold this year in the festive season ending after Diwali, a growth of three per cent in volume terms and nine per cent in value terms.
Notably, the ultra-premium segment (Rs 45,000 and above) saw a growth of 12 per cent during the first wave of festive sales, thanks to Apple and Samsung.
Apple’s models iPhone 15 and iPhone 13 were the highest performing premium smartphones. For Samsung, deals on the Galaxy S23, S23 Ultra and S23 FE boosted premium volumes, the report said.
This year’s festive season sales started on September 26. The festive season contributes 20-25 percent to the annual sales of smartphones.
Overall, the first wave of festive season sales (September 26 to October 7) saw a slight decline of three percent year-on-year in smartphone sales, crossing 13 million units.
However, the value saw an increase, crossing $3.2 billion for the first time with an eight percent year-on-year increase. In the first wave, online channels contributed about 70 percent of total smartphone sales.
According to the report, in the first wave, Samsung emerged as the best-selling brand in terms of both volume and value. The brand achieved double-digit growth in both volume and value terms, achieving 18 percent sales volume share and 22 percent sales value share.
Apple’s sales grew by single digits in terms of volume. But the value increased further due to the strong performance of the iPhone 15, the best-selling premium device during the first wave. The report said that Samsung’s Galaxy S23 was the best-selling premium Android device.
–IANS
SCH/ABM
