Smartphone shipments in India hit a record high for the first quarter, with Counterpoint Research crediting new launches, promotions and pent-up demand from 2020.

Senior research analyst Prachir Singh said Q1 was the third consecutive record quarter, though cautioned a recent surge in Covid-19 (coronavirus) cases in India would likely impact shipments moving forward.

Shipments in Q1 were up 23 per cent year-on-year to 38 million units, with Chinese vendors accounting for 75 per cent of the total.

Xiaomi held top spot with a 4 per cent rise in shipments (including its Poco brand) giving it a 26 per cent share, compared with 31 per cent in Q1 2020. Samsung’s shipments grew 52 per cent for a 20 per cent share, up from 16 per cent; Vivo increased shipments 16 per cent, though its share fell from 17 per cent to 16 per cent.

Realme shipments fell 4 per cent, reducing its market share from 14 per cent to 11 per cent; with Oppo’s shipments up 12 per cent for an 11 per cent share.

The share of vendors in the others category increased from 10 per cent to 16 per cent.