India’s smartphone market shipments are estimated to have declined 26% year-on-year (YoY) to 35.8 million units in the third quarter (3Q) of 20Q26, marking their lowest third-quarter shipment volume since 2016 despite the start of the festive season, according to new data from Omdia. However, it was good news for Apple.
Omdia says higher smartphone prices and cautious consumer spending weighed on replacement demand, prompting vendors to adopt conservative inventory strategies. Weakening online-focused shipments added to the pressure.
Samsung regained the top spot for the first time since the first quarter of 2024, shipping 6.7 million units. It was followed by three China-based companies: vivo with sales of 6.4 million; OPPO with sales of 4.9 million; and Xiaomi with sales of 4.7 million.
Apple rounded out the top five with shipments of 3.9 million units, supported by channel stocking ahead of anticipated price hikes and sustained demand for the base iPhone 17 and 16 models amid the absence of a new base iPhone 18. The late-quarter launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max gained momentum, supported by bank cashback, exchange bonuses and flexible no-cost EMI schemes, according to Omdia. Overall, iPhone sales in India were down 20% year-over-year.
“India’s smartphone market is shifting from online-led shipment expansion during the festive period to more selective, channel-driven growth, challenging vendors’ traditional volume strategies,” said Sanyam Chaurasia, Principal Analyst at Omdia. “September, historically a critical inventory build-up period for major online sales events, saw weaker shipment momentum. Fewer exclusive launches, limited affordable SKUs and narrowing promotional differences reduced the online channel’s traditional festive advantage. This has disproportionately affected Chinese OEMs, whose combined market share fell to approximately 68% in the third quarter of 2026 from 75% in the third quarter of 2025. In contrast, Samsung and Apple strengthened their positions through premium portfolios, strong consumer demand, established channel partnerships and structured upgrade programs.”
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