Reliance Jio’s Lyf is Now the Fifth Largest Smartphone Brand by Shipments in India

Reliance Jio’s Lyf has just pulled off the most spectacular single quarter any new smartphone brand could ever hope for and would be proud of. The company just had such an amazing quarter that it even managed to push aside some of the stalwarts of India’s smartphone ecosystem.

According to IDC Reliance Jio’s Lyf phones now hold a 7.1 market share in the Indian smartphone market and what makes this an amazing feat is that this has transpired in just one quarter. Lyf is now the fifth largest smartphone brand in India by shipments. They edged out a established brand such as Lava International to gain hold of the fifth spot in one of the world’s most lucrative and, more importantly, crowded smartphone markets.

More from iSpyPrice: Check out all the latest Lyf phones on iSpyPrice

That this is no mean feat will be obvious to anyone who follows the Indian smartphone market. India currently has scores of smartphone brands, some home-bred, others global players looking to make a local impact. At iSpyPrice we currently have 104 smartphone brands listed. That’s 104 smartphone brands for 1 market. If you think that is not saturated then you don’t understand product-market saturation. And now picture this: Lyf launches and storms into the fifth spot in this very Indian smartphone market within one quarter. That is the scale of their staggering growth.

What are some of the prominent reasons for Lyf’s astronomical growth

One of the more obvious reasons why Lyf has been able to penetrate such a huge market so quickly is that it has Reliance pushing for its success. Thanks to the ginormous distribution network organized by Reliance Retail Lyf has managed to infiltrate the market with relative ease. However, there is one more factor at play that is just as important and should not be overlooked. The 4G factor.

Over the last year or so we have time and again indicated that India’s home-bred brands such as Micromax and Intex have been pushing forward aggressively with a 4G strategy at the core of their future plans. This 4G strategy is in accordance with the Indian government’s efforts to push forward the Digital India campaign and it has begun to show results.

Over the last quarter alone 4G smartphones accounted for more than 65% of all smartphone units shipped. Lyf has taken it upon itself to further push the reach of 4G into India’s rural and urban areas. In fact, as it turns out Lyf has played a major role in the last quarter in pushing for 4G adoption in India by offering a plethora of 4G enabled phones. This is true for all price segments Lyf deals in. The Lyf Flame 1, priced at Rs. 4, 849 is 4G enabled and so is the Lyf Water 7 priced at Rs. 18, 750.

While Samsung continues to maintain its position as the leading smartphone brand in India, some others haven’t done all that well. YourStory created a very neat infographic to depict the market share of smartphone brands in India. Here’s the market share analysis they indicated in their infographic, derived form IDC’s data.

1. Samsung mobile – 26.6%
2. Micromax – 12.6%
3. Intex – 9.2%
4. Lenovo – 8.2%
5. Reliance Jio – 7.1%
6. Others – 36.3%

Clearly the difference between Reliance Jio’s Lyf brand and brands positioned at second, third, and fourth spots isn’t  very large. If Lyf can continue its aggressive market penetration they could very well be challenging well established home-bred brands Micromax and Intex by the end of this year. If you thought smartphone battles couldn’t heat up in India anymore think again. We will keep a close eye on Reliance Jio’s Lyf and so should you as a consumer.