Smartphone

With no 5G use case to look at as a reference, consumers want to purchase the best smartphones defined by the ones offering seamless connectivity, blanket coverage, and endless capabilities.Consumers are currently perplexed about being able to find the best 5G device for themselves. As there is no application or use case.

According to CyberMedia Research (CMR), India's 5G smartphone momentum continued through Q1 2023 with 34 new 5G launches, with Samsung leading the country's market with a 23 per cent share, followed by Apple with a 17 per cent market share. In addition, India's smartphone market shipments declined by 21 per cent (year-on-year), during Q1 2023, while the overall mobile market in the country declined by 20 per cent (year-on-year).

Moreover, it added that the second smartphone will also be available to purchase in the US for the first time. Earlier, Manu Sharma, Vice President and General Manager, Nothing India, told IANS that they have learnt their lessons with the first smartphone and when they launch their second offering in India soon, it will be an industry-leading device.

Shipments will stabilise around the levels from 2022 as we move into the middle of 2023, according to market research firm Canalys. "Decline rates will start to improve soon, although this is more connected to the stark contrast between 2022 and 2023 shrinking," said research analyst Lucas Zhong.

5G is growing in the secondary markets and it now makes up 13 per cent of global refurbished sales, according to Counterpoint Research. With the demand for refurbished smartphones continuing to grow across most geographies, the global secondary smartphone market grew 5 per cent YoY last year.

The country increased two spots in rank globally for median mobile speeds, from 66th in February to 64th in March, according to Ookla, the global leader in network intelligence and connectivity insights. However, for overall fixed broadband speeds, India's global rank dipped by three spots, from 81st in February to 84th in March.

vivo T2 5G comes in two colour variants -- Nitro Blaze and Velocity Wave, at a starting price of Rs 18,999, while vivo T2x 5G comes in three colour variants -- Marine Blue, Aurora Gold, and Glimmer Black, at a starting price of Rs 12,999, and will be available for purchase from April 21 on both online and offline platforms.

"With growing adoption of foldable smartphones, and increasing competition amongst OEMs, the average selling price (ASP) for foldable phones is anticipated to drop further by 12-15 per cent in 2023. CMR estimates posit to the Rs 60,000-75,000 price bracket to be the sweet spot for OEMs," said Menka Kumari, Analyst- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CyberMedia Research.

According to Counterpoint Research, the installed base of foldable smartphones in the US stood at 4.7 million in 2022. Among the smartphone brands, Samsung is the most preferred brand for foldable purchase for 46 per cent of the respondents, followed by Apple with 39 per cent, and Motorola with 6 per cent.

In 2023, the global shipments of foldable phones, including flip and fold form factors, are expected to reach 21.4 million units, representing an increase of more than 50 per cent over the 14.2 million units shipped in 2022, according to International Data Corporation (IDC). A 10 per cent decline in ASP helped the market.