India's smartphone shipments fell 26 per cent year-on-year to 35.8 million units in the third quarter of 2026 (July–September), the lowest Q3 volume since 2016, according to a report by market research firm Omdia released on Monday.

Omdia said higher smartphone prices, cautious consumer spending and weaker replacement demand prompted vendors to adopt more conservative inventory strategies; a slowdown in online-focused shipments and Diwali falling later this year — which shifted festive inventory build-up from September into October — also weighed on volumes.

Samsung regained the top position for the first time since Q1 2024, shipping 6.7 million units (about 19% share), helped by the Galaxy A07, A17 and A27, the Galaxy S26 series, new foldables and the S26 FE, plus cashback, exchange and longer-tenure financing offers.

vivo slipped to second with 6.4 million units, down 34% — the sharpest fall among the top five — followed by OPPO with 4.9 million (down 24%), Xiaomi with 4.7 million (down 28%) and Apple with 3.9 million units, supported by iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 demand and dealer stocking ahead of anticipated price increases.

Sources: IANS reporting the Omdia report, Omdia data as reported by GSMArena and The Telegraph t2ONLINE.