vivo retains lead, Nothing gains momentum as India’s smartphone market posts weakest June quarter in six years

vivo retained its position as India’s largest smartphone brand in the April-June quarter with an 18% market share, even as Samsung emerged as the only top five smartphone maker to post year-on-year shipment growth, according to Counterpoint Research.

Samsung, which held the second position, grew 2% year-on-year, narrowing the gap with vivo on the back of healthy demand for its Galaxy A and flagship S series smartphones. The South Korean smartphone maker also strengthened its presence in the sub-₹20,000 segment through its A, M and F series, making the ₹15,000-₹20,000 price band its biggest volume contributor during the quarter.

OPPO retained the third spot with a 14% market share, supported by double-digit growth in the above-₹20,000 price segment. Xiaomi, including POCO, ranked fourth with a 13% share, while realme came in fifth. Both brands recorded year-on-year shipment declines as repeated price hikes across their entry- and mid-tier portfolios weakened demand, particularly in the sub-₹20,000 segment. Apple, meanwhile, saw shipments decline 3% year-on-year, with its market share at 7%, as supply constraints and inventory shortages limited growth despite sustained demand for the iPhone 17 series.

Nothing emerges as people's choice

Among individual brands, Nothing was the fastest-growing smartphone maker during the quarter, registering 105% YoY growth, driven by demand for its Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro models, along with increased visibility through its title sponsorship of Royal Challengers Bengaluru during the IPL. Google also emerged as the fastest-growing brand in the ultra-premium segment (above ₹45,000), recording 68% year-on-year growth.

A steep slowdown

The company-specific performance came against the backdrop of a sharp slowdown in the broader market. India’s smartphone shipments fell 10% year-on-year during the June quarter, marking the steepest decline for the period in six years. Rising memory prices pushed smartphone prices higher across almost every segment, hurting consumer demand and extending replacement cycles despite promotional offers and financing schemes. Chinese smartphone brands also saw their combined market share fall to its lowest level for a second calendar quarter since 2020.

“India’s smartphone market remained under pressure during the quarter, as both demand and supply were adversely affected. On the supply side, persistent increases in memory and other component costs prompted almost every major OEM to implement multiple rounds of price hikes, resulting in an average smartphone price hike of around 15% by the end of the second quarter. At the same time, macroeconomic headwinds, inflationary pressures and weak discretionary spending weighed on replacement demand,” said Prachir Singh, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research. The mass-market segment (sub-INR 15,000) was the hardest hit, with its shipments declining 45% YoY. As most Chinese brands are heavily exposed to the entry- and mid-tier segments, their overall market share fell to its lowest level for a second calendar quarter since 2020, he added.

Looking ahead, Counterpoint expects the pressure on the smartphone market to continue through the rest of the year.

“We expect India’s smartphone market to remain under pressure through the rest of the year, as elevated memory and component costs continue to keep device prices high. Smartphone memory prices have increased nearly 4x since September 2025 and are expected to rise further, potentially reaching 5x in the coming months. As a result, we expect the market to decline by 13% YoY for the full year,” said Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research.