South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics Co. had the third-largest market share in India's smartphone market in the fourth quarter last year, slipping down a notch as Chinese products expanded their presence, data showed Monday.

Samsung accounted for 19 percent of the Indian smartphone market in the October-December period, down 1 percentage point from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by industry tracker Counterpoint Research.

The South Korean tech giant, which used to be the leading player in the Indian market, dropped to the second spot in 2018, ceding the throne to China-based Xiaomi Corp.

Samsung Electronics lost its dominant position in India despite its efforts to roll out budget models amid intensifying competition with Chinese brands, industry watchers said.

Xiaomi took up 27 percent of the Indian smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2019, followed by Vivo, another Chinese brand, at 21 percent, according to Counterpoint.

Oppo and Realme, also from China, were fourth and fifth, respectively, in terms of the market share.

India was the world's second-biggest smartphone market in 2019, with inbound exports rising 7 percent on-year. (Yonhap)