India Smartphone Shipments Fall 26% to 35.8 Million, Lowest Q3 Since 2016
Updated
Updated · GSMArena.com · Oct 19
India Smartphone Shipments Fall 26% to 35.8 Million, Lowest Q3 Since 2016
3 articles · Updated · GSMArena.com · Oct 19
Summary
35.8 million smartphones were shipped in India in July-September, down 26% year on year and marking the weakest third quarter since 2016 despite the festive season opening.
Higher handset prices and cautious consumer spending drove the slump, with Omdia saying repeated price hikes and rising component costs also disrupted inventory planning and hurt entry-level demand.
Samsung retook No. 1 for the first time since Q1 2024 with 6.7 million units and about 19% share, while vivo fell to second with 6.4 million after a 34% drop.
Apple shipped 3.9 million units as dealers stocked ahead of expected price increases and buyers favored the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16; late-quarter iPhone 18 Pro models also gained traction.
Chinese brands' combined share fell to about 68% from 75% a year earlier, and Omdia expects India's market to shrink again by a low-single-digit percentage in 2027.