Samsung Loses Smartphone Sales Crown In India To Micromax

Samsung is facing heavy competition on multiple fronts these days. Mobile sales have dipped and a smartphone marketing executive recently stepped aside. In India, smartphone company Micromax has been a thorn in Samsung’s side for years, pushing low-end phones that have appealed to customers moving up from standard cell phones. Now, a research firm says that Micromax is outselling Samsung in one of the world’s biggest mobile markets.


Micromax’s new lead is a slim one, according to research firm Canalys, which announced the switch in a statement this week. Micromax now holds 22 percent market share to Samsung’s 20 percent. The good news for both companies is that the market in India is growing – Canalys put India’s mobile market growth at 90 percent annual growth and said that 21.6 million units shipped in Q4 of 2014.


Inexpensive smartphones are key to the market. Canalys estimates that nearly a quarter of all shipped phones were priced under $100. Another 41 percent were in the $100 to $200 range. Price point is a driving factor in smartphone sales, but Canalys also points to Micromax’s success with identifying the needs of local markets and quickly adding those features (such as local languages).