MediaTek is intensifying its efforts to challenge Qualcomm's dominance in India's premium 5G market. As the company gains traction with Chinese smartphone manufacturers for their high-end models, it is strategically positioning itself to expand its footprint in this competitive space.
Finbarr Moynihan, vice-president of corporate marketing at MediaTek, revealed to MoneyControl that MediaTek currently powers approximately 54% of smartphones sold in India. The company has secured a dominant 64% share in the sub-INR30,000 (US$355.5) segment. While acknowledging MediaTek's smaller presence in the premium 5G market, Moynihan expressed confidence in the company's growth trajectory, noting that achieving similar success in the high-end market could take more than a year.
The company's flagship Dimensity 9000 series has proven particularly successful, generating US$1 billion in revenue in 2023 against MediaTek's total revenue of nearly US$14 billion. Moynihan projects the series will achieve 70% growth compared to the previous year in 2024, with revenue potentially reaching US$2 billion, driven by MediaTek's expanding presence in the 5G market and increasing demand for premium devices.
In the first half of 2024, MediaTek dominated India's 5G mobile chipset market with a 51% share, while Qualcomm held 32%. This dominance was particularly evident in the sub-INR30,000 5G smartphone sector, where MediaTek captured 64% of the market compared to Qualcomm's 31%. However, in the premium segment above INR30,000, Qualcomm leads with 34%, followed by Apple at 27%, Samsung at 24%, and MediaTek at 14%.
The competition among Android smartphone system-on-chip providers is intensifying as the year progresses. MediaTek plans to challenge its competitors with its latest Dimensity 9400, launched in October alongside Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4.
MoneyControl reports that analysts expect MediaTek to capture a larger share of the Indian market segment above INR30,000, driven by increasing adoption of the Dimensity 9000 series by Chinese smartphone manufacturers in their premium devices.
Counterpoint analyst Prachir Singh emphasized MediaTek's position as India's leading 5G chipset provider during the first half of 2024, powering over half of all 5G smartphone shipments. With its Dimensity 9000 series and the new Dimensity 9400, MediaTek is well-positioned to strengthen its presence in the premium segment and intensify competition with major industry players.
Beyond smartphones, MediaTek is expanding into India's automotive sector. Mike Chang, corporate vice president at MediaTek, told Business Today about the company's entry into India's automotive market, focusing on developing scalable hardware and software solutions with an emphasis on safety and reliability.
