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The Indian smartphone market grew just 1 per cent in the April-June quarter (Q2), totalling 36.4 million units shipped, a report showed on Thursday. 

Xiaomi reclaimed the top spot after six quarters, capturing an 18 per cent market share with 6.7 million units shipped.

Vivo closely followed, also shipping 6.7 million units, boosted by affordable 5G and mid-range models, according to market research firm Canalys.

“Samsung ranked third with 6.1 million units shipped. realme and OPPO (excluding OnePlus) rounded out the top five with 4.3 million and 4.2 million units shipped, respectively,” the report mentioned.

Sanyam Chaurasia, senior analyst at Canalys, said that in the second quarter, top mass-market brands expanded their mid-high-end portfolios and will use early monsoon sales to clear inventory, making space for new models ahead of the festive season.

The market is grappling with challenges such as fluctuating demand in the mass-market segment, slow migration from feature phones to smartphones and increasing adoption of second-hand smartphones.

“As a result, brands often resort to creating unnatural demand through festive promotions,” said Chaurasia .

While 5G device upgrades continue to fuel growth in 2024, vendors will increasingly emphasize ‘brand experience’ across products and channels for long-term gains, said the report.