Xiaomi leads India's mobile phone sector in Q3; Vivo, Oppo also in top 5

Chinese brands Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo, which have secured a big share of India's mobile phone sector, showed no signs of weakness in the third quarter despite a market contraction, official media here reported on Thursday.

Experts noted that India, with its competitive market and ample consumer demand, still offers a promising future for Chinese mobile phone companies, state-run Global Times reported.

The experts' comments come as several Chinese mobile phone brands reported good business performances in the Indian market in the third quarter, statistics from Canalys, a Singapore-based technology market analyst firm, showed on Tuesday, the report said.

Xiaomi shipped more than 12 million smartphones in India in the third quarter, growing by 32 per cent on a yearly basis, making it the largest smartphone vendor in India.

According to a statement from Canalys, Xiaomi took pole position for the fourth quarter in a row, further cementing its lead in the country.

A Chinese investor surnamed Wang, who focuses on cross-border investment between China and India, told the Global Times that he thinks the biggest reason for Xiaomi's popularity in India is because its phones are relatively cheap.

A Chinese telecommunications expert attributed Xiaomi's success in India to the fact that its "geek" image is welcomed by local consumers.

"Xiaomi's localisation strategies, such as adding tailored designs for local consumers in their products, as well as doing local promotion, work well in India," Liu Xingliang, head of the DCCI Internet research institute, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Vivo and Oppo shipped 4.5 million and 3.6 million units, respectively, in India in the third quarter, up by 12 per cent and down by 2 per cent, making them the third- and fourth-largest phone vendors in the country.

Shipments by South Korean brand Samsung slipped by two per cent, but the company still managed to be the second-largest phone vendor in India.

Chinese mobile phones are swimming against the tide, though, as the mobile phone sector is declining in India. In the third quarter, the mobile segment contracted by 1 per cent on a yearly basis, the Canalys data said.

Liu said that India - which has a big population - is still a promising market for Chinese mobile phone vendors.

He also pointed out that competition among Chinese brands in India is good for China's mobile industry.