Guess who is India's premium smartphone leader; it's not Apple or Samsung

The top smartphone-maker in the premium segment in India is neither Apple nor Samsung. It is Chinese brand OnePlus, the latest data from IDC shows.

Data for online smartphone sales in Q2 2017 puts OnePlus at a substantial lead with 57 percent market share, well ahead of Apple’s 38 percent. Samsung is a distant third with 4 percent. All the other brands occupy the remaining 1 percent. IDC sets $400 as the cutoff point for the premium segment.

The IDC data for this comparison does not take into account offline sales.

Billboards in Indian cities are full of ads from OnePlus’ Chinese rival in this segment, Oppo, which has just got permission to open single-brand retail stores in India. But OnePlus’ digital marketing and sales push seems to be clicking, suggesting a rise in online shopping for smartphones in India.

Also notable is that the OnePlus surge comes with just two phones – the OnePlus 3T and the OnePlus 5, which was launched in June. Samsung, in contrast, has a plethora of models, while Apple has adopted aggressive pricing.

China’s Xiaomi, which has focused mostly on the budget segment, is now making a play for well-heeled customers. Today, it announced the launch of Mi Mix 2 in India on October 10, priced at $500 which is similar to what the OnePlus 5 costs.