Counterpoint: India Smartphone Shipments Fall 20% as Budget Segment Slumps

India's smartphone shipments fell 20% year over year in the July-to-September quarter, reaching their lowest level in a decade, according to preliminary estimates from Counterpoint Research. The firm's tracker adds a separate set of figures to the weak market picture previously reported by Omdia.

Shipments below ₹20,000 nearly halve

Counterpoint says shipments of phones priced below INR 20,000 declined 47% in Q3 2026 as rising model prices pushed devices into more expensive bands. It links the pressure to record-high memory prices, softer demand and manufacturers holding leaner channel inventory ahead of the festive season.

The firm says consumers are extending replacement cycles and deferring upgrades as affordability worsens, particularly below INR 15,000. Shipments measure devices entering sales channels, rather than purchases by individual consumers.

Samsung leads; Indian brands gain share

Samsung reclaimed first place after nine quarters with a 17% shipment share and was the only top-five vendor to register year-over-year growth, Counterpoint says. Its Galaxy A range helped drive volumes. vivo, excluding iQOO, followed at 16%, while OPPO and Xiaomi, including POCO, each held 12%.

Ai+ was the fastest-growing brand in the tracker, with shipments up 306% year over year. Indian brands collectively increased their share from 2% to 7%. MediaTek remained the leading chipset supplier with 45%.

Separate trackers, different estimates

Omdia previously estimated a larger 26% year-over-year decline to 35.8 million smartphones in Q3 2026, also describing a decade-low third quarter. These are separate research estimates, not figures that should be combined or treated as a revision by the same firm. Counterpoint explicitly labels its own data preliminary and subject to revision.

Looking ahead, Counterpoint forecasts that India's smartphone market will shrink by around 13% in 2026. It expects further price increases after the festive-season sale as elevated component costs continue to weigh on the mass market. That outlook is a forecast, not a completed full-year result.

Sources

https://m.gsmarena.com/indias_smartphone_market_just_had_its_worst_quarter_in_a_decade_counterpoint_says-news-75216.php
https://counterpointresearch.com/en/insights/india-smartphone-market-slumps-20-yoy-in-q3-sub-inr-20000-shipments-nearly-halve
https://omdia.tech.informa.com/pr/2026/oct/indias-smartphone-shipments-fell-26percent-to-a-decade-low-third-quarter-level-despite-festive-season