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India Smartphone Shipments Plunge 26 Percent in Q3 2026
M
Moneycontrol•19-10-2026, 16:57
India Smartphone Shipments Plunge 26 Percent in Q3 2026
- •India's smartphone shipments dropped 26 percent year-on-year to 35.8 million units in Q3 2026, marking the lowest Q3 volume since 2016.
- •Samsung captured the top spot by shipping 6.7 million units, returning to the leading position for the first time since Q1 2024.
- •Vivo followed in second place with 6.4 million units, while OPPO, Xiaomi, and Apple rounded out the top five.
- •Higher device prices, conservative inventory planning, and longer replacement cycles weighed heavily on consumer demand during the festive season.
Key Questions Answered
Samsung ranked first in India's smartphone market in the third quarter of 2026, shipping 6.7 million units and returning to the top spot for the first time since Q1 2024.
The 26% year-on-year shipment drop to 35.8 million units was caused by higher smartphone prices, cautious consumer spending, conservative inventory planning by manufacturers, weaker online-focused shipments, and the later timing of Diwali.
Omdia expects India's smartphone market to experience a further low-single-digit percentage decline in 2027 due to higher device prices and longer replacement cycles, though useful artificial intelligence capabilities could encourage upgrades.
