Google Pixel market share in India grew by a whopping 111% in 2023

Google Pixel smartphone market share in India has skyrocketed by an impressive 111% in 2023, according to Counterpoint Research. While this growth rate might seem astronomical, it’s necessary to remember that the Google Pixel brand has a very small base in the vast Indian market. Still, this surge signifies a promising shift for the brand in the region.

While Pixel’s exact sales figures weren’t specified, the report paints a picture of a burgeoning smartphone player in India. This YoY growth reflects a trend observed in other brands like Lava (36%), OnePlus (33%) and Motorola (13%), indicating a general consumer openness to alternatives beyond the usual market leaders. “For many OEMs, the key focus during the year was on taking 5G to the lower segment driven by a shift in consumer preferences,” Senior Research Analyst Shilpi Jain said. This explains the growth seen by little-known brands like Lava as they look to add more low-end earners to the burgeoning 5G user base.

Samsung took the top spot for the first time since 2017 with an 18% market share, followed closely by Vivo (17%) and Xiaomi (16.5%). Interestingly, Apple also enjoyed significant growth, selling a record 10 million units in 2023 on the way to becoming the market leader in terms of revenue. This highlights the growing premium segment in India driven by factors like easy financing schemes and the increasing desire to own higher-end devices.

Although not mentioned in the report, it’s possible that the impressive growth in market share recorded by the Google Pixel brand in India is due to the company’s focus on offering premium AI-powered camera features that you won’t find on other brands. Notably, Google also prioritizes timely software updates and a clean, Android-focused experience, which seems to resonate with specific segments of Indian smartphone users. Looking ahead, Counterpoint Research predicts continued growth for the Indian smartphone market in 2024 fueled by further premiumization, wider 5G adoption, and better economic conditions. Additionally, they foresee trends like growing focus on design aesthetics (CMF), enhanced audio-video experiences, and integration of more AI features.

In conclusion, the YoY growth of 111% for the Google Pixel in India, while still relatively insignificant compared to Samsung and co.’s overall market share, marks a significant step for the brand in this crucial market. With its focus on offering a clean UI, longer software support, and premium features, Google Pixel seems poised to capitalize on the evolving Indian smartphone landscape in the coming year. Whether it can sustain this momentum and truly challenge the established players remains to be seen, but the brand’s trajectory is undoubtedly intriguing. But given the efforts Google has been making in terms of marketing the latest Pixel 8 and its powerful AI features in the country, it isn’t surprising that the brand’s market share grew by this margin.

In Q3 2023, the Pixel brand captured a 3% market share in the US despite a huge decline in sales, but there was some reprieve as Google overtook Sony to take the fourth spot in Taiwan. This latest stat from India shows the brand is slowly gaining favor outside the US, which should be music to Google.