Smartphone Market

India's festive smartphone season may bring fewer discounts as memory shortages and a weaker rupee push prices higher

Rising smartphone prices may push buyers to delay purchases or shift to refurbished devices, threatening festive season sales growth

The West Asia conflict has disrupted critical PCB materials, adding a new layer of cost pressure on electronics makers already dealing with rising memory prices and supply constraints

Supply-side cost pressures and weak demand took a toll on India's smartphone shipments, which fell 3 per cent year-on-year in Q1 2026, suffering its weakest quarter in the last six years, according to Counterpoint Research's Monthly India Smartphone Tracker. On the outlook, Research Director Tarun Pathak said India's smartphone market is expected to remain under pressure in the near term, with Q2 2026 likely to see a double-digit decline, as elevated memory prices and weak entry-level demand continue to weigh on overall volumes. "For the full year, the market is projected to decline by 10 per cent YoY, as sustained component cost inflation, particularly in memory, which has already increased 4x over the past three quarters, continues to impact affordability and lengthen replacement cycles," Pathak said. Brands, he observed, are expected to stay disciplined, focusing on premium-led growth, tighter portfolio execution and channel efficiency. While premium segment should remain ...

Higher prices and cautious spending shift smartphone buyers to value options

The new forecast, a dramatic revision down from earlier estimates, gives the latest accounting of the ongoing memory crunch that's affecting every corner of the electronics industry

India's smartphone market declined 1% in 2025, but demand for affordable 5G phones surged, with Vivo leading the market and brands like iQOO and CMF posting strong growth, says CMR

Industry bodies representing device makers had earlier this year petitioned the finance ministry for a shift to 12 per cent, as the government reviewed GST rate slabs

Nothing is expected to position the Phone 3 as a true flagship, featuring top-tier specifications like the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, a three-camera system with a periscope telephoto lens, and more

iPhone 17 plans, localisation drive hit by China delays

Value phones to follow in two years as consumer use cases expand

Experts also point out that many feature phone users looking to buy their first smartphone prefer a more feature-loaded 4G phone rather than a basic new smartphone at the same price

Apple Inc, through its iPhones, accounted for two-thirds of India's smartphone exports during the period under review, underscoring the impact of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme

While mobile phone production capacity reached over 500 million units by the end of 2024, India only produced around 250 million, primarily iPhones for export

Any reduction in the customs duty on smartphone parts in the forthcoming budget will harm India's developing component ecosystem, discourage investment, increase imports, and make local firms uncompetitive, potentially resulting in job losses, think tank GTRI said on Tuesday. India's smartphone industry is a 'Make in India' success story, with 2023-24 production reaching USD 49.2 billion and exports at USD 15.6 billion, making smartphones the fourth-largest export after diesel, aviation fuel, and polished diamonds. However, a few industry groups are pushing for further import tariff cuts on smartphone components in the Union Budget for FY26. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) warns that this could harm India's growing local manufacturing ecosystem and long-term ambitions in electronics. "Instead of cutting tariffs, GTRI recommends setting up component hubs near ports to reduce import delays and warehousing costs. This approach, used by countries like Vietnam and China, wou

Rising demand for premium devices, led by Apple and Samsung, is expected to increase India's smartphone market size to over USD 50 billion (about Rs 4,28,900 crore) this year, market research firm Counterpoint Technology Market Research said on Friday. The Indian smartphone market size was estimated at USD 37.9 billion (about Rs 3.25 lakh crore) in 2021, according to the research firm. "India's smartphone market is on track to achieve its highest-ever value in 2025, crossing USD 50 billion. Brands like Apple and Samsung are leading this shift by offering competitive options in the premium and ultra-premium segments," the report said. Apple India has registered a total income of Rs 67,121.6 crore, while Samsung reported revenue of Rs 71,157.6 crore from the mobile phone vertical in the financial year 2024. According to the report, the retail average selling price of India's smartphone market is expected to cross the USD 300 mark (about Rs 25,700) for the first time in 2025. "Apple

Israel-based unified communications company Tadiran Telecom plans to invest at least USD 10 million (about Rs 80 crore) annually to manufacture IP telephones in India, a top company official has said. IP telephones support multiple communication functions, including conference calls through apps, and are generally used in business organisations. The company has partnered with DCM Shriram for manufacturing IP phones. Tadiran Telecom CEO Moshe Mitz, on the sidelines of an event to announce its manufacturing plan in India, said the company is likely to invest more every year in the second phase of production expansion, which will include Software development. "We plan to make 1,00,000 IP telephones in India every year. This is a conservative number. We have allocated USD 10 million for one year for our manufacturing project. Investment will increase based on the performance," Mitz said. Tadiran has been operating in India for the last 26 years through channel partners. Mitz said tha

Apple recorded all-time records in revenue and shipments in the September quarter, while Samsung slid

In Q3 smartphone shipments, India accounted for 15.5 per cent of global shipments, second only to China, which led with a 22 per cent share

Samsung, prioritising its flagship Galaxy S series and enhancing its value-driven portfolio, led the market by value with a 23 per cent share