Samsung Electronics Co. expanded its presence in the Indian smartphone market in the first quarter of the year on the back of multiple new handsets, a report showed Tuesday, as the South Korean tech giant aims to fend off challenges from Chinese players.

Samsung represented 20 percent of the smartphone shipments in India in the first quarter, up from 16 percent a year earlier, according to market researcher Counterpoint Research.

The company remained in the runner-up spot in the Indian smartphone market but managed to narrow the gap with top player Xiaomi Corp., whose market share declined to 26 percent from 31 percent a year earlier.

Samsung was the only non-Chinese brand in the top five. Vivo came in third with 16 percent, followed by Realme and Oppo with 11 percent each.

Among the top five brands, Samsung posted the highest on-year growth in smartphone shipments in the first quarter, Counterpoint Research added.

"Samsung remains the second-largest brand for India's smartphone shipments with 52 percent on-year growth driven by its focus on the budget segment with the new M02 series and multiple other launches," the market researcher said.

"It refreshed its A-series with the A32, A52 and A72, and the M-series with the M12. It also launched its latest flagship Galaxy S21 series earlier than its normal launch period."

India's smartphone shipments grew 23 percent on-year to reach over 38 million units in the first three months of 2021, the highest ever for a first quarter, on the back of new product launches and aggressive marketing, according to Counterpoint Research.

When it comes to the mobile handset market, which includes the feature phone segment, Samsung recaptured the top position with a 19 percent share, beating Xiaomi with 16 percent.

The feature phone market in India posted a 14 percent year-on-year growth in the first quarter. (Yonhap)