New Delhi, May 9 (IANS): The average selling prices (ASPs) of smartphones continued to rise for the fourth consecutive quarter in India, hitting an all-time high of $211 (nearly Rs 16,323) in the January-March quarter, on the back of increased prices both for existing and newly launched devices, a new report showed on Monday.

MediaTek-based smartphones had a share of 51 per cent at an ASP of $174 (about Rs 13,461) while Qualcomm made a recovery increasing its share to 28 per cent with an ASP of $244 (nearly Rs 18,870), according to the IDC.

The sub-US$200 segment struggled as shipments dropped by 16 per cent, but the mid-range segment of $200-$300 grew to 18 per cent share from 14 per cent in the first quarter.

Overall, India smartphone shipments declined for the third consecutive quarter, shipping 37 million smartphone units in the first quarter, a drop of 5 per cent (YoY).

The opening of the year was relatively slower as compared with 1Q21, due to the impact of the third wave of COVID, tight supplies especially for the low-end price segments, and rising inflation leading to increasing end consumer prices, the report mentioned.

The pandemic-induced surge in eTailer shares over the past two years subsided with a marginal drop to 49 per cent in Q1, but with 7 per cent YoY growth in shipments.