India smartphone shipments fall 5% in first quarter

Omdia warns of a double-digit 2026 decline.

India’s smartphone shipments fell 5% YoY to 30.9 million units in the first quarter, as weak demand, cautious channel stocking, and pricing pressure weighed on the market.

Omdia said rupee depreciation, rising inflation, and earlier front-loading ahead of expected price increases hurt affordability and limited fresh channel intake, adding that the market is now shifting from a tactical adjustment to a more structural reset.

Vivo kept the top spot for a seventh straight quarter, with 6.3 million shipments and a 20% market share, followed by Samsung with 5.1 million units and OPPO with 4.7 million units.

Xiaomi shipped 3.8 million units, whilst Apple shipped 2.9 million and entered India’s top five for the first time in the first quarter.

Omdia said vendors responded differently to mounting cost pressure, with OPPO rolling out flat price hikes across its portfolio, Xiaomi using tiered increases, and Samsung and vivo taking a more phased approach.

It said the Rs10,000 to Rs20,000 segment was especially exposed as higher prices eroded affordability and overlapping inventories made channel execution more critical.

The research firm said India’s smartphone market faces severe downside risk this year and forecast full-year shipments will decline by double digits.

It added that entry-level handset prices have already risen 18% to 20% in the second quarter, which could lengthen upgrade cycles and push more buyers towards repairs, second-hand devices, and financing-led purchases.