India Smartphone Sales Fall for 3 Weeks as Prices Rise Up to 31%
Updated
Updated · BusinessLine · Aug 19
India Smartphone Sales Fall for 3 Weeks as Prices Rise Up to 31%
3 articles · Updated · BusinessLine · Aug 19
Summary
Three straight weeks of sales declines followed Amazon Prime Day and Flipkart’s GOAT sale in July, signaling that India’s smartphone demand weakened once heavy discounts ended.
Entry-level phone prices have climbed steadily for three months, with Samsung making the sharpest July revisions—up 3% to 31% on select models—while analysts say higher chipset costs are pushing average selling prices up about 15%.
Counterpoint said the pattern shows promotions are pulling purchases forward rather than creating lasting demand, with consumers becoming more price-sensitive and delaying upgrades.
Apple bucked the trend by holding prices and growing volumes 15% year on year from April to July; OPPO and Samsung each rose 4% on budget models, retail focus and aggressive offers.
Counterpoint still expects India’s smartphone market to shrink 13% in 2026, though brands are likely to intensify festive-season promotions as chip and component pressure persists until new local fabs arrive by mid-2027.