India consumer storage market declines 4% as smartphones' memory go up

NEW DELHI — The consumer storage market (micro-SD, flash drive and SD card) market in India witnessed 4 per cent (year-on-year) decline in shipments in the first quarter, a report showed on Monday.

However, the market shipments increased by 16 per cent (quarter-on-quarter), according to CyberMedia Research (CMR).

The primary reason for the YoY decline is attributed to a decrease in the Micro-SD base.

"In Q1, 25 per cent of smartphones without an external memory card slot were shipped, indicating a shift in the market trend," said Shipra Sinha, lead analyst, CMR.

Furthermore, Q1 witnessed a significant shipment of smartphones with internal memory capacities of 128GB and above, accounting for 57 per cent of total shipments.

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"This surge in smartphones with ample internal storage has disrupted the micro-SD market. Conversely, the flash drive market experienced a modest YoY growth of 4 per cent," Sinha added.

The top contributor in the overall market was SanDisk, holding a dominant share of 70 per cent. HP secured the second spot, while Kingston occupied the third position.

The lesser-known brands collectively captured 11 per cent market share, demonstrating a remarkable YoY growth of 84 per cent in their shipments.

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The 32GB capacity segment continued to be the top contributor, holding a significant market share of 38 per cent. The 64GB capacity segment was the next preferred choice, capturing 27 per cent of the market share.

The Micro-SD cards market is likely to experience single-digit growth by the end of this year. On the other hand, the flash drive market is expected to witness a YoY growth of 10-15 per cent.