The domestic smartphone market grew nearly 3 per cent year-on-year in the July-September period, reaching 48.4 million units in sales, according to a new report released on Tuesday. Apple recorded its highest ever shipments in the country during the third quarter, gaining 10 per cent market share, it added.
According to global research firm Omdia, sellers flooded channels with fresh stock in anticipation of high demand during the festive season. This modest growth was driven by a wave of new launches in July and August, retail incentives and the early arrival of the festive season, which accelerated inventory flow.
“With limited organic demand, Q3’s momentum was largely sustained through incentive-led channel push rather than pure consumer recovery,” said Sanyam Chaurasia, Principal Analyst at Omdia.
Vendors reallocated marketing budgets to high-impact retail incentive programs that rewarded sell-through, ranging from cash-per-unit bonuses to tiered margins and dealer contests with rewards such as gold coins, bikes, and international trips.
“These incentives motivated distributors and retailers to absorb higher inventory ahead of the festive season. At the same time, vendors intensified consumer-facing schemes – from zero-down-payment EMIs, micro-instalment plans, bundled accessories and extended warranties – to drive conversions,” Chaurasia added.
Vivo (excluding iQOO) extended its lead in the market with sales of 9.7 million units and achieved 20 per cent market share.
Samsung came in second with 6.8 million units and a 14 per cent market share, while Xiaomi came in third, narrowly edging out Oppo (excluding OnePlus), with both vendors selling 6.5 million units.
Apple returned to the top five with 4.9 million units, with the increase driven by smaller cities.
“Smaller cities drove volumes through aspirational demand, aggressive festive offers and wider availability. While older iPhones 16s and 15s drove major shipments under discount-led upgrades, the iPhone 17 base model gained traction supported by a strong iPhone 12-15 install base upgrades,” said Chaurasia.
Looking ahead, Apple will aim for Pro-model upgrades and deepen its ecosystem to drive long-term value, the report added.
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