New Delhi, Oct 10 Premium smartphone sales continued to grow in the first wave of the festive season in India, with sales growing seven per cent (year-on-year), a report released on Thursday said.
Over 35 million smartphones are expected to be sold this year in the festive season that ends after Diwali, up three per cent in terms of volume and nine per cent in terms of value, according to Counterpoint Research estimates.
In particular, the ultra-premium segment (Rs 45,000 and above) saw a 12 per cent growth during the first wave of festive sales, led by Apple and Samsung.
Apple’s models iPhone 15 and iPhone 13 were the top-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 began on September 26. The festive season contributes 20-25 per cent to annual smartphone sales.
Overall, the first wave of festive season sales (September 26 to October 7) saw smartphone sales decline marginally by three per cent year-on-year, crossing 13 million units.
However, value saw a growth, growing eight per cent year-on-year to cross $3.2 billion for the first time. In the first wave, online channels contributed nearly 70 per cent 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 grew double-digits in terms of both volume and value, achieving 18 per cent sales volume share and 22 per cent sales value share.
Apple’s sales grew by single digits in terms of volume. But value grew further due to the strong performance of the iPhone 15, the best-selling premium device during the first wave. Samsung’s Galaxy S23 was the best-selling premium Android device, the report said.
