Samsung faces challenge from Xiaomi in Indian smartphone market

Samsung Electronics Co. retained the top spot in the Indian smartphone market in the third quarter but continues to face a strong challenge from China-based Xiaomi Inc., data showed Sunday.

According to Strategy Analytics, Samsung accounted for 26 percent of the market in the July-September period, while Xiaomi took 25 percent.

Other Chinese firms came next, with Vivo Communication Technology Co, Oppo Electronics Corp., and Lenovo Group taking 10 percent, 9 percent, and 7 percent, respectively.

In the second quarter Samsung took 21.2 percent, far greater than Xiaomi's 15.6 percent.

The combined share of Chinese companies came to a meager 1 percent in the third quarter of 2012, the industry tracker added.

Counterpoint Research, another researcher, also said Samsung took 23 percent in the July-September period, neck-and-neck with Xiaomi's 22 percent.

The researcher said the top three most popular smartphones in India during the third quarter were Xiaomi products, with Samsung's Galaxy J2 coming in fourth. (Yonhap)