India experienced record-breaking smartphone shipments in the quarter concluding in September of this year, as the nation—the world’s second-largest handset market—remained fully operational following the initial coronavirus-related lockdowns.

A recent report indicates approximately 50 million smartphones were shipped throughout India in the third quarter of 2020, establishing a new quarterly record for the country. For comparison, 17.3 million smartphone units shipped in Q2 (during which two-thirds of the period saw widespread lockdowns), and 33.5 million units shipped in Q1 of this year, according to research firm Canalys on Thursday.

Xiaomi, which first achieved the leading smartphone position in India in late 2018, continues to hold the dominant share of the market. The company accounted for 26.1% of the Indian smartphone market, surpassing Samsung’s 20.4%, Vivo’s 17.6%, and Realme’s 17.4%, as stated by the marketing research firm.

Counterpoint attributes Samsung’s success to its recent focus on expanding online sales and the growing sentiment against Chinese products within India.

The existing geopolitical tensions between India and China have encouraged many Indian consumers to choose domestic brands or companies headquartered in the United States and South Korea. Furthermore, local smartphone manufacturers, which had previously lost market share to Chinese companies (who currently control over 80% of the market), are planning a resurgence.

Indian brand Micromax, a former market leader, announced this month its preparation to launch a new smartphone sub-brand named “In.” Rahul Sharma, the head of Micromax, stated that the company is investing $67.9 million in this new smartphone venture.

In a video shared on Twitter last week, Sharma expressed that Chinese smartphone manufacturers had negatively impacted local brands, but now is the time for a counter-offensive. “Our goal is to re-establish India’s presence on the global smartphone landscape with ‘in’ mobiles,” he declared in a statement.

India has also approved applications from 16 smartphone and electronics companies for a $6.65 billion incentive program as part of New Delhi’s national plan to stimulate domestic smartphone production over the next five years. Foxconn (along with two other Apple contract manufacturers), Samsung, Micromax, and Lava (another Indian brand) are among the companies eligible for these incentives.

Notably absent from the list are Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, and Realme.