Explore the latest developments concerning India smartphone shipments.
India smartphone shipments fall to 6-year low in Q1 amid price hikes, Counterpoint Research says
April 17 (Reuters) – India's smartphone shipments fell 3% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, marking their weakest quarterly performance in six years as cost pressures, price hikes and soft demand weighed on sales, Counterpoint Research said on Friday.
• Over 80 smartphone models saw average price hikes of 15%, with a further 15%–20% expected in the second quarter.
• "The market is facing a clear affordability squeeze, driven by sharp memory-led cost inflation and currency pressures that have forced OEMs to raise prices across key models," said senior analyst Prachir Singh.
• "India's smartphone market is expected to remain under pressure in the near term, with Q2 2026 likely to see a double-digit decline," research director Tarun Pathak said.
Brands pushed Indians to buy premium phones. Now, they’re paying a price
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Indians are holding on to their smartphones for a record period of nearly four years, data from three independent market researchers showed, as exchange offers and interest-free loans fail to offset soaring prices in a challenging economy.
Brands have been nudging buyers towards the premium end, where the average smartphone now costs over ₹26,000, against ₹17,000 in 2021. The devices themselves have become sturdier and offer extended software upgrades, making phone purchases more discretionary and less urgent.
“Our business used to thrive on enthusiasts and high net-worth individuals, who would previously upgrade their smartphones every year. Over the past year, we’re seeing such buyers also refraining from making purchases because the premium phones have all become incremental, and buyers get little to no worth out of buying a new phone worth over ₹1 lakh every year,” said Manish Khatri, partner at Mumbai-based electronics retailer Mahesh Telecom.
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Google and Nothing are growing fast in India despite market slowdown
A lot is going on in India’s smartphone market right now. On one side, there’s a steady stream of new launches across segments, and on the other, a clear slowdown in demand. According to Counterpoint Research, India’s smartphone shipments fell 3 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, making it the weakest Q1 in six years. But beneath this slowdown, some brands are quietly gaining ground. Nothing is one of them.
According to the report, Nothing (including CMF) grew 47 per cent year-on-year in Q1 2026, emerging as the fastest-growing smartphone brand in the country. The growth, as analysts point out, is being driven by the company’s accelerated offline expansion and the launch of its first exclusive retail store in India, which has helped improve visibility and accessibility.
For more detailed information, explore updates concerning India smartphone shipments.
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