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

SAN FRANCISCO: 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.

"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.

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.