During in Q1 2020, Chinese vendor Vivo grew its smartphone shipments in India by close to 50%, overtaking Samsung for the first time to take second place.

According to Canalys, smartphone shipments in India in Q1 2020 were up 12% to 33.5 million units, despite the impact of a nationwide lockdown in the final week of March, due to the coronavirus.

Leading vendor Xiaomi achieved a market share of 30.6%, shipping 10.3 million smartphones in the quarter. Vivo overtakook Samsung for the first time to take second place. Canalys says that the vendor shipped close to 6.7 million units, grabbing a personal record share of just below 20%. Samsung fell 14% to third place with 6.3 million units shipped. Realme maintained fourth place with 3.9 million units, while Oppo finished fifth, with 3.5 million units.

Xiaomi remains the runaway leader in India, while its rivals had mixed fortunes. Its continued investments in local production and supply chain, coupled with an efficient online and offline channel strategy, are its core strengths.

“Vivo’s victory is bitter-sweet,” said Canalys Analyst Madhumita Chaudhary. “The high sell-in this quarter was mainly due to planned stockpiles ahead of the high-profile Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the unplanned lockdown at the end of March has disrupted the vendor’s plans. With IPL postponed, and much of its inventory in offline channels locked out, Vivo will struggle to see a quick sell-through when the lockdown lifts.”

Canalys expects smartphone shipments in India to plunge in Q2 2020, as the lockdown remains in force up to May 3rd and vendors grapple with both supply- and demand-side issues in the immediate future.