Samsung is steadily proving that they own the top spot today when it comes to smartphones. According to the first quarter (Jan-March) sales of 203, Samsung is the leading smartphone maker in India. Apple is still in the top ranks - the company remains to be at the top 5 for profits made.

International Data Corporation (IDC) reported that the mobile phone market in India increased by as much as 24%. The report covers January-March sales for 2013. The sales for this year's first quarter is comparatively larger compared to last year's. Android continues to dominate the smartphone market in India accumulating an impressive 90% share.

Android's impressive market share is largely because of the sales from the low end sector.

Apple managed to boost their sales in recent months because of the discount offers and aggressive marketing campaign the company launched. Unfortunately, the company was unable to manage the increase and sales momentum seemed to have slowed down.

"Apple has always been a niche player in the country. Apple numbers in Q4 of 2012 were exceptional but their shipments actually saw a dip in Q1 of 2013 as per our numbers," Times of India quoted Manasi Yadav. Yadav serves as a senior market analyst for IDC.

Players in the Indian market are taking advantage of the conditions for money preposition. Players like Karbonn and Micromax presently rank at second and third for smartphone shipments. Micromax now has approximately 19% market share whereas Karboon has around 11% of the market in the first quarter.

"Their volumes are increasing quarter-on-quarter and they are giving tough competition to all the players. They are especially successful in tier-2 and tier-3 towns where brand names don't matter that much," Yadav explained.

Nokia landed in the fourth spot for smartphone shipments while it ranked three for value. The Lumia series managed to get a good market reception and shipments increase by the quarter. Blackberry continues to suffer a loss and sales decrease constantly.

"Indian market is driven by low cost devices. They have also grown much faster when it comes to units," said Yadav. "Rupee depreciation will negatively impact Micromax and Karbonn especially since their margins are lower, but their volumes are increasing. So they might maintain low pricing as it is their USP," Yadav said.