India has surpassed the US for the first time in smartphone sales, according to a new study published today by Canalys. They claim that smartphone sales reached 40 million units in India in Q3 2017, surpassing the US for the first time in history, with China remaining in first place, just like in the past.
Samsung remains the largest seller of mobile phones in India, with 9.4 million units, but Xiaomi is very close behind, with sales of 9.2 million units. Vivo, Oppo and Lenovo are the other three manufacturers that are still present in the top 5, but they all have much, much lower sales, but at least they are ahead of Apple.
Apple does not appear in the top of the biggest smartphone sellers in the second largest country in the world, the situation is not a good one. The Apple company has been trying to conquer the Indian smartphone market for some time, but so far it has not been very successful, and as things look, nothing will change soon for the Americans.
Apple wants to sell more in India precisely because the market is recording increasing sales for smartphones, but its phones are far too expensive.
"This growth comes as a relief to the smartphone industry. Doubts about India's market potential are clearly dispelled by this result," said Canalys Research Analyst Ishan Dutt. "There are close to 100 mobile device brands sold in India, with more vendors arriving every quarter. In addition, India has one of the most complex channel landscapes, but with low barriers to entry. Growth will continue. Low smartphone penetration and the explosion of LTE are the main drivers."
