India’s smartphone market is shipping fewer phones, but the money side of things is still growing. That’s the main takeaway from IDC’s latest numbers for the first half of 2026. Chinese brands that have long ruled the volume charts are taking the biggest hits, while Samsung and Apple are holding steady or even gaining ground.
Total shipments dropped 7.9% year-on-year in H1 to 64.2 million units, the lowest first-half figure in five years. Q2 was even softer, down 11.1% to 33.2 million units. Despite the lower volumes, market value actually rose 3.6%. Higher average selling prices are the reason, as brands pass on the increased costs of memory, storage and displays. Online discounts have also become harder to find, which has taken some of the shine off the big flash sales that used to drive a lot of volume.
Chinese brands have felt it the most. Vivo stayed on top but still saw shipments fall 13.9% in Q2, dropping its share to 18.4% from 19%. Xiaomi was down 10%, Oppo 8.5%, realme 14.2% and Poco 12.3%. iQOO took a particularly rough hit with a 61% decline. These brands have traditionally relied on aggressive online promotions and strong budget-to-midrange line-ups, a formula that’s looking less effective as prices climb and buyers get pickier.
Samsung and Apple went the other way. Samsung’s shipments ticked up 0.4%, lifting its share to 16.4% from 14.5%. Apple grew 0.7% and moved to 8.5% share from 7.5%. On the value side Apple did even better, leading the market with a 27% revenue share after a 22.2% year-on-year jump. The iPhone 17 was the single best-selling model in both Q1 and Q2, even with supply constraints on several iPhone generations.
Looking ahead, IDC expects the second half of 2026 to stay tough. Shipments could fall more than 15% year-on-year, putting full-year volumes somewhere around 128-130 million units. The Indian market is starting to look a bit more like mature ones: longer replacement cycles, less automatic brand loyalty, and people still ready to spend, but only when they feel they’re getting clear value.
Brands that depend on pushing huge unit numbers are under pressure, while those with stronger pricing power and more premium offerings are better placed to handle the slowdown.
Don’t miss a thing! Join our Telegram community for instant updates and grab our free daily newsletter for the best tech stories!
For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.
(Source)
Comments