We are now in February and 2019 has already been behind us for some time, but it is never too late to talk about budgets. To do this is the well-known research company Canalys, which has long delighted us with its market research, comparing the various brands of the smartphone landscape. One of the latest reports published by the company focuses on the Indian market, which has always been a source of income and satisfaction for most Chinese telephone manufacturers.
In the fourth quarter of 2019, the Indian market grew by 14%, shipping 39 million smartphone units compared to 34,1 million in the same quarter of 2018. At the helm we find Xiaomi which in the last quarter of the year pushed in the shipment of 11,2 million units, followed by Samsung and Vivo selling 8,1 million and 7 million units respectively. Realme and OPPO took fourth and fifth places, each selling 4,7 million and 3,4 million units. But even if the numbers are far from the Xiaomi giant, Realme has recorded the highest growth (+ 268%), considering the young age of the brand which in the same period of 2018 obtained only 1,3 million units shipped.
Realme's growth is even more impressive if we analyze sales overall: a growth of + 473% in 2019 with 15,7 million units sold (against 2,7 million in 2018), gaining its first place overall. OPPO also performed well while suggesting the negative sign for the Samsung brand and other minor brands.
Exponential growth for Realme in India in the smartphone market
The overall smartphone market in India saw the sale of 148,2 million units, an increase of about 8% compared to the 137,3 million of 2018 sold. Definitely positive numbers for the smartphone market that during the course of 2019 has seen several stalls, due to the lack of news.
Online sales were a real cure-all, with sellers increasing the sell-in to Flipkart and Amazon online retailers through exclusive links. However, relying solely on the online channel has proven to be a double-edged sword, particularly for Realme, which has seen its sell-in drop as online sales slow down after the holiday season.
Thus comments the analyst of Canalys Madhumita Chaudhary. 
Apple closes the year in sixth place, behind OPPO, considering that the American company has implemented a pricing strategy in India. The lower cost of the iPhone 11 and Apple's partnership with the local HDFC bank made it easier for Indian consumers to afford the Apple device, while remaining one of the most expensive smartphones in the landscape. Finally, the Canalys company tries to make an estimate of what 2020 will be, specifying that the smartphone market will grow by 8% with 160 million units sold.
