India second-largest active installed base of smartphones globally

Longer retention cycles build an installed base that places it just behind China

India has the second-largest active installed base of smartphones in the world, behind only China, according to a yet-to-be-released Counterpoint Research report based on 2025 data. 

The country has an active installed base of over 740 million smartphones — more than half of its population of 1.45 billion.

Unlike shipment data, the act­ive installed base reflects devi­ce longevity, user retention, and ecosystem loyalty, capturing the cumulative impact of years of sa­les combined with longer repl­acement cycles in mature markets. 

India accounts for 14 per cent of the global installed base of smartphones. China remains at the top with a 19 per cent share, translating into around 1,005 million devices. The total global active installed base of smartphones in 2025 is pegged at 5,285 million. 

In India, the average smartphone retention period currently stands at 42 months, slightly lower than the global average of 47 months. 

In terms of brand leadership, the company with the largest active installed base in India is Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi.  This comes despite the company having lost market share in recent years as it shifted from its original strategy of affordable, high-volume devices to a greater focus on the premium segment. 

A senior Counterpoint executive said Xiaomi’s older Redmi and Note series are still widely in use, having had

long shelf lives before users upgraded.

 

Xiaomi’s installed base also includes Poco, positioned as a budget-to-mid-range brand targeting young, tech-savvy consumers, which helped maintain volumes. 

Globally, Xiaomi has the third-largest active installed base of smartphones. Only two brands — Apple Inc and Samsung — have crossed the 1 billion mark. Together, they control 44 per cent of the global active installed base, with Apple accounting for one in every four active smartphones worldwide. 

Eight brands have active installed bases exceeding 200 million units globally: Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo (including OnePlus), Vivo, Honor, Transsion (which includes Tecno, Itel, and Infinix), and Huawei. Collectively, these brands control over 80 per cent of the global smartphone installed base. 

Three other brands — Motorola, Realme, and Google — rem­ain below the 200 million mark, though Motorola and Realme are close to reaching that milestone.

 

Xiaomi holds the line

 

·         Second-largest active smartphone base globally after China, at 740 million

 

·         Accounts for 14% of global active smartphone base in 2025

 

·         Xiaomi has largest active installed base in India

 

·         Indians retain smartphones for an average of 42 months, below global average of 47 months