The growth was primarily fuelled by fresh launches in the quarter, says research firm Canalys | Photo Credit: lakshmiprasad S

India’s smartphone market recovered in Q2 of calendar year 2025 after a sluggish start to the year.

Smartphone shipments in India grew 7 per cent year-on-year in April-June 2025 to reach 39 million units, according to data from Canalys (now part of Omdia). The research firm said that growth was primarily fuelled by fresh launches in the quarter, following a cautious Q1, where vendors held back due to elevated inventory levels. This recovery came in amid multiple headwinds, including US tariff tensions and geopolitical uncertainty, Canalys added in its note.

vivo (excluding iQOO) led the market with 8.1 million units shipped and a 21 per cent market share. Samsung followed in second place with 6.2 million units and a 16 per cent market share. OPPO (excluding OnePlus) climbed to third with 5 million units, overtaking Xiaomi, which also shipped 5 million units. Realme completed the top five.

“With limited organic demand, India’s smartphone market in H2 2025 will hinge more on channel execution than product launches,” Sanyam Chaurasia, Principal Analyst at Canalys (now part of Omdia), said. He observes that brands are actively locking inventory with distributors and retailers through channel incentive programmes ahead of the upcoming festive season in India, and retail infrastructure upgrades are also gaining pace. The research firm projects a modest decline for the full-year 2025, as structural demand challenges persist.

Speaking about vendor-wise performance, Chaurasia said Vivo’s new launches were well-received in the market driven by strong partnerships, while its rivals maintained a more measured approach in Q2. “OPPO also had a solid quarter, buoyed by strong offline momentum from the A5 series and growing online traction via the K13,” he added.

“Apple ranked sixth in Q2 2025, with the iPhone 16 family accounting for over 55 per cent of its shipments, while the iPhone 15 and 13 continued to drive demand across price tiers,” Chaurasia noted.

Published on July 21, 2025