Canalys: Smartphone sales in India grow 12% in 2021

The smartphone market faces significant challenges in 2021, but India's overall revenue grew by 12% compared to 2020, which was also disrupted. The beginning of the year was a tough time for producers, but not as much as last year. And another strong comeback in the second half: 162 million copies.

Realme rose 25% in sales to third place, with Tecno and Infinix also making significant profits. Since the last two aren't currently in the top 5, they've greatly improved the performance of the "Other" category.

Xiaomi maintained its number one position but shipped 22% fewer smartphones than in 2021, while Samsung also lost a bit of an edge, but maintained its second position and approached number one. Vivo and Oppo also declined and lost positions respectively.

Looking at the numbers over the year, Xiaomi is far ahead of Samsung, while Vivo remains in third place behind Realme. However, since Realme has again become a growth leader, it will likely be even higher by the end of 2022. . 

We should also see 5G finally roll out in India. Manufacturers must push cheaper devices with next-generation connectivity. However, shipments will be suspended until the bottleneck caused by the lack of components is resolved.