NEW DELHI: Smartphone shipments (sales) in India fell 10% year-on-year in the June quarter, the biggest quarterly decline in three years since the January-March 2023 period.
The impact was more severe in the mass market segment, where sales of smartphones priced below Rs 15,000 fell by 45% from the previous year. The sharp slowdown has hurt Chinese smartphone brands, which still rely heavily on mid-range and mid-range devices, dragging their combined market share to its lowest level in the April-June quarter since 2020, according to Counterpoint Research.Vivo retained first place with a share of 17.8%, despite a double-digit decline in sales, while Oppo retained third place with a share of 13.6%.
Xiaomi, including Poco, fell to fourth place with a combined share of 13.4%, while Realme took fifth place with a 10% share. Counterpoint said Xiaomi, including Poco and Realme, reported a decline in sales, as frequent price hikes across its affordable portfolios dampened consumer demand. Meanwhile, Oppo relied on strong demand for devices priced above Rs 20,000 to cushion the slowdown.“As most Chinese brands are heavily exposed to the entry and mid-tier segments, their overall market share fell to its lowest level for the second calendar quarter since 2020,” said Prashir Singh, senior analyst at Counterpoint.
The research company attributed this slowdown to record high memory prices, which forced manufacturers to raise smartphone prices several times this year. Average smartphone prices rose about 15% at the end of the June quarter, while inflationary pressures and weak discretionary spending prompted consumers to delay upgrades. Smartphone memory prices have risen nearly four-fold since September 2025, leading to a sharp increase in manufacturing costs and forcing brands to pass on higher prices to consumers.To offset the slowdown, many brands have been expanding their 4G portfolios in the affordable segment, betting that value-conscious buyers will prioritize lower prices over 5G connectivity until component costs come down.The weakness at the lower end contrasts with continued resilience in the premium market. Smartphones priced above Rs 45,000 have remained relatively stable as financing schemes, including NBFC and EMI credit cards, have brought down the initial cost of the expensive devices.
Counterpoint said the financing represented more than half of major smartphone sales during the quarter.Samsung was the only top five smartphone brand to record shipment growth during the quarter, rising 2% year-on-year to narrow the gap with Vivo and increase its market share to 17.6%. Apple’s shipments fell 3% year over year, with its market share at 7%, as strong demand for the iPhone 17 series was offset by supply constraints and inventory shortages across online and offline channels.