India's smartphone market is estimated to have slipped to a decadal low with a 26 per cent year-on-year decline in shipments to 35.8 million units in the third quarter of 2026, a report by market research firm Omdia said on Monday.
Major Chinese players Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi are estimated to have seen a decline in shipments while Samsung regained top position despite a marginal dip in shipments.
Apple figured among the top five players during the quarter despite a 20 per cent drop in shipments on a year-on-year basis.
"India's smartphone market shipments are estimated to have declined 26 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to 35.8 million units in 3Q26, marking their lowest third-quarter shipment volume since 2016, despite the start of the festive season," the report said.
According to the report, higher smartphone prices and cautious consumer spending weighed on replacement demand, prompting vendors to adopt conservative inventory strategies.
Omdia noticed weakening online-focused shipments added to the pressure, while the later timing of Diwali amplified the quarterly contraction by shifting a significant portion of offline festive inventory build-up from September into October.
"Samsung regained the top spot for the first time since the first quarter of 2024, shipping 6.7 million units, supported by the Galaxy A07, A17 and A27. The Galaxy S26 series, new Z foldables and S26 FE broadened its higher-value portfolio, while bank cashback, exchange benefits and longer-tenure financing supported upgrades across price tiers," the report said.
Samsung topped the chart with 19 per cent market share despite a year-on-year dip of around 1 per cent in shipments to 6.7 million units during the reported quarter.
Among smartphone players, Vivo is estimated to have recorded the steepest fall in shipments of 34 per cent YoY to 6.4 million units from 9.7 million units and slipped to second spot with 18 per cent market share.
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 helped Apple gain momentum, supported by bank cashback, exchange bonuses and flexible no-cost EMI schemes.
Omdia Principal Analyst Sanyam Chaurasia said that September has been historically a critical inventory build-up period for major online sales events, but it saw weaker shipment momentum. Fewer exclusive launches, limited affordable product units 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 per cent in 3Q26 from 75 per cent in 3Q25. In contrast, Samsung and Apple strengthened their positions through premium portfolios, strong consumer demand, established channel partnerships and structured upgrade programs," Chaurasia said.
Xiaomi shipments are estimated to have declined by 28 per cent to 4.7 million units in the July-September 2026 quarter from 6.5 million units on a YoY basis.
Oppo supplies are estimated to have declined by 24 per cent to 4.9 million units during the reported quarter from 6.5 million units a year ago.