Indian Smartphone Market Fell 7 Percent YoY in Q1 2025, Vivo Led the Way: CMR

Indian smartphone market had a tough start to the year, shows a report by Cyber Media Research. The domestic smartphone market dipped seven percent year-on-year (YoY) in the first quarter of 2025. Chinese smartphone brand Vivo led the smartphone market with 20 percent market share, while Samsung secured the second spot. Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme managed to get into the top third, fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Feature phone shipments declined 37 percent YoY, with Itel leading the segment.

The CyberMedia Research (CMR) India Mobile Handset Market Review Report for Q1 2025 said that smartphone shipments in India dropped seven percent YoY in the first quarter of 2025. The decline is attributed to change in consumer preferences and growing competition. The premium smartphone segment registered growth, driven by strong demand for 5G and AI feature filled smartphones.

5G Smartphone Shipments in India Grow by 14 Percent

In the latest quarter, 5G smartphones made up 86 percent of total shipments, reflecting a 14 percent YoY growth. The report notes that affordable 5G models priced between Rs. 8,000 and Rs. 13,000 saw particularly strong demand, with shipments more than doubling compared to the previous year. Vivo led the 5G segment with a 21 percent market share, followed by Samsung at 19 percent.

In the overall smartphone market, Vivo maintained its lead with a 20 percent share, trailed by Samsung with 18 percent market share. Handsets including Vivo Y29, Vivo T3 Lite, and Vivo T4X models accounted for a majority of Vivo's 5G shipments. Samsung registered a 13 percent YoY decline.

Xiaomi came in the third spot with 13 percent market share, but the report states that the company's shipments declined 37 percent YoY. Oppo and Realme are placed in the fourth and fifth positions with 12 percent and 11 percent market share, respectively.

Motorola registered a strong 53 percent YoY growth driven by its competitive 5G portfolio. Transsion Group witnessed a 13 percent YoY decline. Nothing marked more than 200 percent YoY growth. 

CMR notes that Apple posted a 25 percent growth YoY, and captured an eight percent market share in Q1 2025, driven by strong demand for iPhone 16 series and new iPhone 16e.

The Below Rs. 10,000 5G smartphone segment witnessed over 500 percent YoY growth in Q1 2025, said Menka Kumari, Senior Analyst at CMR. "This reflects a strong consumer appetite for affordable 5G smartphones. Brands such as Xiaomi, Poco, Motorola, and Realme are leading this surge. On the other hand, the 2G featurephone segment fell 17 percent YoY, while 4G feature phones declined sharply by 66 percent YoY," she added.

As per the report, the affordable smartphone segment, priced under Rs. 7,000, saw a modest three percent YoY growth, while the value-for-money segment (Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 25,000) declined by six percent. 

Feature phone shipments declined 37 percent YoY in Q1 2025. The 2G feature phone market was led by Itel Mobile with a 41 percent share, followed by Lava at 31 percent and HMD at 19 percent.

The market research firm anticipates the Indian smartphone market to witness moderate growth, with shipments growing in single digits in the coming months.