India smartphone shipments drop 20% in Q3 2026, decade low
Smartphone shipments in India dropped by 20% in Q3 2026, reaching their lowest level in a decade.
Higher component costs pushed some devices into more expensive price categories, making many people hold onto their old devices instead of upgrading.
As a result, brands are focusing less on selling more units and more on managing their profits and inventory.
Samsung tops India smartphone market
Samsung grabbed the top spot with 17% market share, followed by Vivo, excluding iQOO, at 16%, while OPPO and Xiaomi, including POCO, each held 12%.
Interestingly, Ai+ Smartphone saw massive growth this quarter.
Looking ahead, experts expect the market to shrink by around 13% this year. To keep things moving, brands might roll out more affordable 4G models and offer perks like no-cost EMIs or exchange deals to make buying new phones easier.