Brand competition is increasingly becoming fierce for mobile-first India, and not all mobile brands can keep up with the momentum. China-made devices and brands are currently dominating the scene, although South Korean giant Samsung continues to hold an important market share, according to a new research.
Xiaomi stands out among brands in India
In its latest research, ENV Media takes an in-depth look at the mobile devices that online gambling players in India use the most to access their favorite casino apps or betting websites like Purewin.com . Utilizing proprietary data and analytic feedback from its properties including Indian affiliate SevenJackpots, the ENV report found that Xiaomi tops the list of mobile device brands preferred by online gambling players in India. According to the report,
“Xiaomi leads ahead of Samsung, with Vivo a little further behind. Oppo and Realme gravitate around the 10% market share, still a solid performance. OnePlus confirms its status—sought, most likely—as a premium smartphone brand, rivaling Apple in the segment.”
Figures from Counterpoint Market Monitor also showed that five out of the top 10 smartphone models in India are from Xiaomi, which holds a 26% market share as of Q1 2021. Samsung holds the top 2 spot with 20% market share, while brands Vivo (16%), Realme (11%), Oppo (11%), and others (16%) round up the list.
“We see that Chinese-origin devices and brands dominate the scene, with Samsung holding an important market share as well. Apple appears beyond the 20th position for the first time,” researchers at ENV Media pointed out.
COVID-19 impacts consumer demand
Consumers in India are spending more time on their mobile devices, especially in these times of pandemic when people can’t go out to socialize. In fact, an estimated 365 million online players—out of the total 760 million Internet users in India—get in touch with their games via mobile phones.
“The amount of searches for mobile games have literally skyrocketed during the past 6 months. Indian players seem to prefer to play local table games such as Andar Bahar directly from their phone, instead of using traditional devices such as tablets or desktops,” ENV Media CEO and founder Mattias Bergehed said, according to a Live Mint report.
Meanwhile, a Vivo and Cyber Media Research study saw a 75% increase in smartphone use for office work, while calls grew by 63%. Users in India also spend significant time on over-the-top (OTT) media services, as well as watching videos and on social media. It’s not surprising that smartphone shipments in the country have grown by 23% year on year to reach over 38 million units in Q1 2021, Counterpoint figures have shown.
“The Chinese brands held a 75% share in the March-ended quarter. Xiaomi led the market with a 26% share, followed by Samsung, vivo, realme and OPPO. Xiaomi has recently expanded its manufacturing capabilities with new EMS partners, which helped the brand maintain strong shipments during the quarter. All the major brands are focusing on new product launches to drive consumer demand,” Counterpoint research analyst Shilpi Jain said.
