India smartphone shipments drop 26% in Q3 to the lowest level since 2016

According to a new report by Omdia, India's smartphone shipments fell by 26% to 35.8 million units in the third quarter (July to September) compared to the same period last year. Thus, Q3 2026 saw the lowest smartphone shipments since 2016, despite the start of the festive season. Higher prices and cautious consumer spending were to blame, unsurprisingly, and the latter is most likely caused by the former, so these aren't even really two reasons.

Samsung regained the top spot for the first time since Q1 2024, shipping 6.7 million units, for about 19% of the market. Its top sellers were the Galaxy A07, Galaxy A17, and Galaxy A27, while the Galaxy S26 series, the new foldables, and the Galaxy S26 FE helped as well.

vivo slipped to second place with 6.4 million units shipped, down 34% year-on-year, the sharpest decline among the top five, as repeated price hikes disrupted channel inventory planning and constrained entry-level supplies weakened its competitiveness. Its shipments were mainly supported by the Y11 5G and Y21 5G, while the returning S-series, led by the S2, also contributed.

Oppo ranked third with 4.9 million units, down 24%, as rising prices and cautious retailer stocking weighed on its core A-series, while the Reno16 series supported its premium push with camera-led differentiation and financing offers. Xiaomi was fourth with 4.7 million units, down 28%, as rising component costs weakened its traditional value proposition. The Redmi 15A and Redmi A7 did the work, while the Redmi Note 17 series, Poco X8, and Poco X8 Power contributed to its higher-value portfolio.

Apple rounded out the top five with 3.9 million units, supported by channel stocking ahead of anticipated price hikes and sustained demand for the base iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 amid the absence of a new base iPhone 18. The late-quarter launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max also gained momentum, helped by bank cashback, exchange bonuses, and no-cost EMI schemes.

The combined market share of Chinese brands fell to approximately 68% in the third quarter, down from 75% in the year-ago quarter, while Samsung and Apple strengthened their positions. Looking ahead, Omdia expects India's market to decline by a further low-single-digit percentage in 2027, with pricing pressures likely to persist through at least the first half of the year. Apparently, nearly four in ten people in India say useful AI capabilities could make them willing to pay more for a smartphone, so that's something that vendors are likely to try and exploit going forward.

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