India pips US to become 2nd largest smartphone market in Q3: Canalys

“This was also the worst third quarter performance since 2015…Seven of the top 10 markets recorded year-on-year declines, caused by lengthening smartphone replacement cycles, worsening international trading conditions and competition from major Chinese vendors,” it added.

The three markets (among the top 10) that registered growth were Indonesia (13.2 percent increase y-o-y to 8.9 million units), Russia (11.5 percent jump y-o-y to 8.8 million units), and Germany (2.4 percent rise y-o-y to 5.5 million units).

China’s smartphone shipment declined 15.2 percent y-o-y, India by 1.1 percent and the US by 0.4 percent in the September 2018 quarter.

Samsung led the vendor tally with 20.4 percent share in the said quarter, followed by Huawei (14.9 percent), Apple (13.4 percent), Xiaomi (9.6 percent), and Oppo (8.9 percent).

“The worldwide smartphone market faces an unprecedented challenge, while its dynamics are changing rapidly at both the vendor and country level. This is providing growth opportunities for aggressive vendors with the speed to respond quickly to market changes,” Canalys Research Manager Rushabh Doshi said.