India's smartphone market sees premium launches and surge in refurbished demand

This month several high‑end smartphones are slated for release in India and other markets. Samsung is expected to unveil its Galaxy Z Fold 8 series—including the Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra and Flip 8—featuring Snapdragon 8 Elite processors, up to 1 TB storage, large batteries and 50 MP cameras. Motorola may launch the Razr 70 Ultra foldable with a 7‑inch AMOLED display, 16 GB RAM and fast‑charging support. iQOO is rumored to bring the Z11 5G with a 165 Hz 6.83‑inch AMOLED screen, a MediaTek Dimensity 8500 chip and a 9,020 mAh battery, while Vivo could re‑enter the Indian market with the premium S2 model. The launches come amid rising memory‑chip costs, which are limiting the total number of new devices.

At the same time, escalating smartphone prices are prompting Indian consumers to turn to refurbished devices. Counterpoint Research projects the Indian refurbished smartphone market to grow about 12 % year‑on‑year through 2026, while shipments of new phones are expected to decline by roughly 11 %. Around 14 % of users are now considering refurbished phones to obtain premium features at lower cost, and trade‑in programs are boosting the secondary‑supply chain.