By: Tech DeskNew Delhi | October 21, 2025 04:54 PM IST 3 min readIndia smartphone shipments hit 48.4 million in Q3 2025 amid Diwali boost. (Expres s Image)India’s smartphone market witnessed an uptick in the third quarter of 2025 with a three per cent year-on-year hike with 48.4 million units shipped. The latest figures were revealed from research by Omdia. According to the report, the new uptick comes at a time when brands stock up ahead of the festive season, along with new launches, retail incentives, and an earlier Diwali cycle that pushed channel activity. The report states that vivo (excluding iQOO) extended its lead in the market, shipping 9.7 million units with a share of 20 per cent. The second spot was taken by Samsung with 6.8 million units and 14 per cent share. Meanwhile, Xiaomi narrowly overtook OPPO (excluding OnePlus), with both shipping 6.5 million units each. Owing to the festive impetus in smaller cities, Apple returned to the top five with 4.9 million units. “Momentum in the quarter 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 programmes—offering cash-per-unit bonuses, tiered margins and dealer contests with rewards such as gold coins, bikes and international trips. These motivated distributors and retailers to absorb higher inventory ahead of the festive season.”According to the report, for consumers, brands introduced multiple promotional schemes, including zero-down-payment EMIs, micro-installment plans, extended warranties, bundled accessories, etc. Like earlier, vivo maintained its strong run with a balanced portfolio and wide offline presence. The brand’s T-series performed well online, while the V60 and Y-series pushed growth across large-format and rural retail channels. Also Read | Apple nears $4 trillion valuation as iPhone 17 sales beat expectationsOn the other hand, while Samsung gained traction in the mid-premium segment through its refreshed Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S24 and S25 FE, the brand faced pressure in the entry-level category. When it comes to OPPO, its performance was enhanced by a multi-layered festive programme centred around the F31 series. Away from the top five, Motorola recorded its highest-ever shipments in India with 4 million units, up 53 per cent year-on-year. This hike is owing to the strong demand for its G series and Edge 60 lineup. Nothing witnessed an impressive 66 per cent rise in shipments, led by the CMF Phone 2 Pro and Phone 3a. Apple achieved its highest-ever quarterly shipments in India, capturing 10 per cent market share. Chaurasia noted that “smaller cities drove volumes through aspirational demand and aggressive festive offers.” Older iPhone 16 and 15 models accounted for much of the volume under discount-led upgrades, while the base iPhone 17 found traction among users upgrading from iPhone 12 to 15 devices.Story continues below this adHowever, Omdia cautioned that the momentum may not be sustained through the year-end. Despite positive retail sentiment bolstered by government reforms such as GST cuts on large appliances, smartphone-specific demand recovery remains limited. “For full-year 2025, we expect a modest decline, reflecting a fragile recovery cycle that remains highly sensitive to economic tailwinds and channel correction,” Chaurasia concluded.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:budget smartphones