Omdia, India's Smartphone Shipments Drop 13% in Q2 2026 as Prices Rise and Economic Pressures Mount

India's smartphone shipments fell 13% year-over-year to 33.9 million units in the second quarter of 2026, according to research firm Omdia, as rising memory chip costs pushed manufacturers to raise handset prices repeatedly, making phones less affordable for budget-conscious buyers. Demand was further dampened by consumers delaying upgrades in anticipation of festive-season discounts, along with a weaker rupee, inflation, and soft retail traffic over the summer. Despite vendors continuing to launch new models at a steady pace, they were cautious about restocking retail channels given slower sell-through and rising costs of holding inventory.

Looking at individual vendors, vivo held onto the top spot with 6.3 million units shipped, even as it saw a double-digit decline driven by price increases weighing on budget demand; the company defended its position by simplifying its entry-level lineup around models like the Y11 5G and Y21 5G, while lowering the starting price of its V-series with the V70 FE. Samsung followed closely with 5.9 million units, showing the strongest resilience among the top vendors, powered by the Galaxy A07 and Galaxy A17, while trade-in, buyback, and financing programs helped support sales...