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5G smartphone share increased to 45 per cent in India in the March quarter, up from 31 per cent in the same period last year, led by Samsung which accounted for more than a quarter of the 5G smartphone shipments, a report showed on Thursday.

According to the International Data Corporation, 31 million smartphones were shipped in the country in the first quarter, a decline of 16 per cent (year-over-year), and the lowest first-quarter shipments in four years.

Consumer demand remained sluggish amid uncertain macroeconomic conditions and inventory levels were elevated because of high stocking in the second half of 2022.

"5G smartphones continue to increase penetration in the low-end price segment and we should expect a strong 5G play in the $150-$300 segment in the second half this year as high-end 4G models vacate the space," said Upasana Joshi, Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

The ASP (average selling price) reached an all-time high of $265 and the share of higher-priced smartphones ($600 and above) increased to 11 per cent compared to 4 per cent a year ago.

Shipments to online channels dropped significantly, as offline channels were backed by new model launches and attractive channel promotions in Q1, the report mentioned.

Samsung climbed to the top slot after more than five years, supported by the launch of affordable 5G smartphones and the Galaxy S23 series, followed by vivo which continued to build on its omnichannel portfolio and OPPO (including OnePlus), while Xiaomi slipped to fourth slot.

India's smartphone market is expected to see flat growth in 2023, the report said.