India’s smartphone market continued to grow in the third quarter, with four of the top five brands recording their highest-ever shipments in a quarter, data from Counterpoint Research showed.

Smartphone shipments in the country increased 5 per cent year-on-year, with a shift towards higher price points meaning the bulk of the growth came from mid-tier models. Research analyst Karn Chauhan noted devices in the $150 to $250 price bracket contributed close to 33 per cent of all smartphone shipments in the country during the recent period “as many new products are launching at this level”.

The figures show Xiaomi overtook Samsung with a 27 per cent share versus 23 per cent (see chart below, click to enlarge), while Vivo held third place as Oppo apparently made little headway. Micromax was back in the top five for the first time in two years.

Combined, the top five vendors accounted for 77 per cent of total smartphone shipments in the quarter, Counterpoint Research said.

The upside of the smartphone segment is still considerable as smartphones only accounted for half the total handset market in Q3.