Samsung regains top spot in the premium smartphone segment, OnePlus 5T best-selling model

After launching its flagship devices like Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy A8+ and the newly-launched Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, Samsung regained the top spot in the premium smartphone segment while, OnePlus solidly maintained its second position, according to a report by Counterpoint.

The report said that the top three brands Samsung, OnePlus and Apple contributed to 95 percent of the overall premium and Samsung captured half of the premium segment with 16 percent YoY growth, driven by the strong initial demand of its new flagships S9, S9 Plus and online exclusive Galaxy A8 plus.

S9 series promotions were strong both in offline and online channels with offers ranging from cashback ($100), exchange ($150), upgrade & data bundling plans across all major operators, the firm further added.

OnePlus has been maintaining its second spot in the premium segment with 25 percent market share while Apple share in the premium segment dipped as the volumes dipped by a massive 55 percent due to decline in shipments for its iPhone 8 and X series. Additionally, the increase in import duty on CBUs to 20 percent during the quarter, led to increases in prices of already expensive iPhones.

However, the silver lining for the company was its growing presence in the online channel. Currently, almost one in four premium iPhones are sold in the online channel.

Online promotions for the older iPhone generation remains strong on both Amazon and Flipkart. Cashback was a popular promotional scheme for older generation iPhones. E-commerce players were promoting "Apple days" in a bid to lure buyers with an upgrade and cash back programmes.

The research firm pointed out that OnePlus has been maintaining its second spot in the premium segment which it is has been holding since Q3 2017. OnePlus 5T was the best-selling model during the quarter, driven by its limited edition variant launch and expansion in the offline segment and the highly anticipated OnePlus 6, is likely to cash in on the momentum built by the OnePlus 5T. This year, the brand will expand its presence across multiple cities by opening new stores, enabling it to reach out to a larger user base.

Furthermore, cashback and EMI offers were the major promotional activities leveraged by brands in the premium segment, with cashback being used by 9 out of 10 models in the premium segment in online.Other notable brands which have their presence in the premium segment include Google, Xiaomi, LG and new entrants in Q2 2018 to keep an eye on are Huawei with P20 Pro and Nokia HMD with Nokia 8 Sirocco.

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Meanwhile, the premium smartphone market contributes to 4 percent of the overall smartphone market in India, still in the nascent stages as the overall smartphone user base is still less mature.