India world's No. 3 smartphone market: research firm
CNA 2013-06-29 11:09
New phones on the market. From left, HTC s J One HTL22, Kyocera's Urbano L01, and Sony's Xperia UL SOL22. (Photo/CFP)
India has overtaken Japan as the world's third-largest smartphone market after China and the United States, according to the latest figures released by Strategy Analytics, a market research firm.
India became the world's No. 3 smartphone market for the first time during the first quarter of this year, with its smartphone sales growing four times faster than the global average, Strategy Analytics said in its latest report.
India's Q1 smartphone sales growth reached 163% year-on-year, while the global average annual growth rate was just 39%, the report noted.
The rise of India as a major smartphone market does not come as a surprise, given its large population, including a burgeoning and wealthier middle class, and rising interest in consumer electronics.
Recent wire reports said Taiwan's leading smartphone maker HTC had already launched its flagship model, the new HTC One, in India in late May.
HTC's chief executive in India was quoted as saying that the company aims to raise its Indian market share to 15% by the end of this year.
The Taoyuan-based company now accounts for a 6% share in the Indian smartphone market, according to recent market research reports.
Meanwhile, market sources said earlier this week that HTC will release its new top-tier model, the HTC Butterfly S, in China in partnership with China Mobile, the largest Chinese mobile carrier.
HTC has not made any comments on such reports.
The company will begin sales of the HTC Butterfly S in Taiwan on Friday in collaboration with Chunghwa Telecom.
The device combines the strength areas of the company's two best-selling models — the large-screen design of the HTC Butterfly and the software and hardware features of the new HTC One.
