India’s smartphone market showed signs of recovery in the July-September quarter (Q3) of 2025, with shipments growing 5% year-on-year. Around 38 million smartphones were shipped during the quarter, supported by festive-season demand, improved consumer confidence, and the growing use of financing and exchange offers, reports Counterpoint Research. The total market value also increased by about 18% compared to the same period last year, reaching the highest level ever recorded for India’s smartphone industry.
One of the most notable highlights of the quarter was Apple’s first-time entry into India’s list of top five smartphone makers by shipment volume. The iPhone maker captured around 9% of total shipments, up from 7% in the same period last year, and captured about 28% of the market in terms of value share. According to the report, the company’s strong performance was driven by the popularity of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 series, along with attractive trade-in and EMI schemes. Even the latest iPhone 17 series witnessed strong launch demand in India, surpassing the sales of its predecessor. Apple’s growing retail presence also helped boost sales.
Meanwhile, Vivo continued to lead the Indian smartphone market in terms of shipment volume, holding a 20% share in the third quarter (up from 17% a year earlier). Its strong offline network and balanced product lineup across price segments helped sustain its lead. Samsung came second, keeping a solid presence in the premium segment but seeing its overall market share fall to about 13% from 16% a year earlier. Despite the dip in unit shipments, Samsung remained one of the top brands by value share, accounting for about 23% of the market, largely due to strong sales of its Galaxy S and foldable models.
The premium smartphone segment (which includes devices priced above ₹30,000) grew the fastest during the quarter, registering a 29% year-on-year increase in shipments. The average selling price of smartphones in India increased by around 13% in Q3 2025. Easy financing options, trade-in programs, and festive discounts played a major role in encouraging upgrades, especially among young urban buyers.
Among other brands, iQOO (Vivo’s sub-brand focused on performance-oriented phones) emerged as the fastest-growing smartphone brand in India, with a remarkable 54% year-on-year rise in shipments. Motorola also posted strong growth of around 53%. Indian manufacturer Lava recorded a 135% growth in shipments, driven mainly by demand for affordable 4G and 5G smartphones in the sub-₹10,000 price category. On the chipset side, MediaTek maintained its lead with about 46% of smartphones sold in the country powered by its processors, followed by Qualcomm with around 29% share. The strong presence of these two players shows ongoing competition among chipset makers to dominate the country’s rapidly growing 5G market.
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