India surpassed the US smartphone user base
Smartphone shipments in India totaled more than 100 million units during 2015, representing an increase of 23% compared to the previous year, according to a recent report by Counterpoint Research.
By the end of 2015, the smartphone user base in India reached 220 million, surpassing the US market for the first time ever, the consultancy firm said.
During the last quarter of 2014, smartphone shipments in the Asian market grew 15% compared to the same quarter the previous year.
According to the report, smartphones accounted for over 40% of total mobile phones shipped in India during Q4 2015. Counterpoint Research also highlighted that almost 50% of total mobile devices sold during the quarter were locally produced. Over 20 mobile phone brands are currently assembling their mobile phones in India.
The report also stated that over 30% of smartphones sold during the period were sold through online channels.
Korean company Samsung led the local smartphone market in terms of shipments during the fourth quarter of the year, with a market share of 28.6%, followed by Micromax (14.3%), Lenovo (11.4%), Intex (9.6%) and Lava (6.8%). Other smartphone brands accounted for the remainder.
In the overall mobile phone market, Samsung led with a market share of 23.6%, followed by Micromax, (13.7%), Intex (13%), Lava (12.6%) and Lenovo (4.8%).
Huawei ships over 108 million mobile phones globally in 2015
In related APAC news, Chinese ICT solutions provider Huawei shipped a total of 108 million mobile phones globally in 2015, the firm said in a statement. The figure represents an increase of 44% compared to the previous year.
Huawei shipped over 12 million smartphones in January, representing a 93% increase from last year. January was also the fourth consecutive month that Huawei shipped over 10 million smartphones.
Huawei also said that it has shipped more than 10 million Huawei P8 lite smartphones. In total, the entire Huawei P8 series has reached more than 16 million people globally, with 60% of coming from global markets.
