India smartphone shipments fall 10% in Q2 2026

India's smartphone market experienced a 10 percent year-on-year decline in shipments during the second quarter of 2026, according to a report by technology research firm CyberMedia Research (CMR). The slowdown is attributed to cautious consumer spending, rising component and device costs, longer replacement cycles, and efforts by retailers to optimize existing inventory.

The decline was most pronounced in the low-cost segments, with the affordable segment dropping by 88 percent and the value-for-money segment decreasing by 30 percent. Conversely, the premium segment (devices priced above 25,000 rupees) saw a 54 percent increase. Within this, the super-premium segment (50,000 to 100,000 rupees) grew by 72 percent, driven by demand and financing options such as zero-cost EMIs and trade-in programs.

While 2G feature phones grew by 5 percent, 4G feature phones saw a 43 percent decline. CMR projects that the overall Indian smartphone market could shrink by 10–12 percent throughout the 2026 calendar year due to continued pressure on the affordable segment from rising costs and price sensitivity.