97 percent of the smartphones sold in India are Android devices: Report

A recent survey suggests that 97 percent of smartphones sold in India are Android devices. Strategy Analytics analysed smartphone sales and shipments in India and concluded that around 30.7 million smartphones were shipped in India since Q2 2015. The report adds that Android smartphones account for around 29.8 million of the total. Apple devices were a distant second with a market share of just 0.8 million. Last year, total smartphone shipments in India amounted to 25.8 million of which Apple accounted for 1.2 million units. In terms of operating systems, Android’s market share has gone up from 90 percent to 97 percent, while Apple’s market share has fallen from 4.5 percent to 2.4 percent. Overall, the smartphone market in India grew by almost 20 percent compared to the same period last year. Rajeev Nair, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Total smartphone shipments in India grew a healthy 19 percent annually from 25.8 million units in Q2 2015 to 30.7 million in Q2 2016. India is currently the world’s third largest smartphone market, after China and the US. The massive growth in Android market share is being attributed to an “expanding middle class” and Android’s “deep portfolio.” While things are looking good for Android, Apple is preparing to shake things up. Apple’s offerings in India are currently overpriced, significantly so, but they are working on setting up stores in India and even, eventually, manufacturing devices here. Until Apple make a Rs 10,000 phone however, it’s doubtful that they’ll recover much market share. Strategy Analytics is a global, independent research and consulting firm.