India's Smartphone Stages A Strong Recovery In 2021, Clock 11% To 12% Growth With Highest Ever Shipment Of Nearly 17 Crores

India’s smartphone market registered its highest ever shipments in 2021.

The smartphone market grew between 11 to 12% percent from the previous year

According to Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor service, India’s smartphone shipments crossed 169 million (16.9 crores) units in 2021 to register 11% year on year growth. The market showed high resilience in a year that witnessed a second and more virulent COVID-19 wave as well as supply disruptions and price increases due to the ongoing component shortages, the report said.

The global smartphone market grew for the first time since 2017, with annual shipments reaching 1.39 billion units in 2021. Despite the 4% annual growth, however, global shipments remained below the pre-pandemic level due to continued COVID-19 impacts as well as component shortages.

Confirming that India’s smartphone market made a strong recovery in 2021, research firm Canalys estimated that it grew 12% from the previous year 2020.

Smartphone makers shipped a record 162 million (16.2 crores) devices in last year, despite a difficult start to the year as the country battled a second wave of Covid-19 and navigated supply chain disruptions, according to firm.

“Thanks to the vaccination rollout, market reopening and pent-up demand, smartphone shipments reached all-time highs for the full-year,” said Canalys Analyst Sanyam Chaurasia.

"Vendors adapted to the changing environment by focusing on omnichannel, diversifying their supply chains, and expanding their product mix. For example, vendors like realme and Samsung diversified chipset configurations to effectively manage supply. realme’s record shipment total was made possible by innovations in planning and stock management which led to good supply of mass-market smartphones such as Narzo 50A and C11." Chaurasia said.

Chinese smartphone makers dominated the top five spots in 2021, with Xiaomi leading the way. South Korean phonemaker Samsung took second place, while Chinese manufacturer vivo took third position. Shenzhen-based Realme came a close fourth, but for the first time in India, managed to clinch third place in the fourth quarter.

According to Canalys, vendors shipped 1.35 billion smartphones globally in 2021,representing a year-on-year growth of 7%, close to 2019 shipment levels of 1.37 billion units.