This Diwali, offline smartphone sales in India dropped by nearly 20%, with many people holding off on buying in hopes of snagging festive discounts.
Even though stores saw plenty of visitors, many shoppers decided to wait it out, leading to a sharp dip in actual purchases before the festival.
Brands post mixed Diwali sales
Older iPhones and Motorola phones still drew crowds thanks to pre-hike prices, but Realme's sales crashed by more than 50% due to higher prices and fewer offers.
Samsung struggled too, with big price gaps between online and offline stores hurting their Galaxy S25 sales.
Meanwhile, smaller shops selling phones under ₹15,000 found some consumers opted for pre-owned and refurbished smartphones instead, while larger retailers managed better by using old stock and smart discounts.