Chinese phone brands just lost their grip on the Indian market

Chinese smartphone brands just suffered their weakest April-June showing in India since 2020. Their combined market share slid as India’s overall smartphone shipments fell 10% year-on-year in the June quarter — the sharpest quarterly decline in three years, according to Counterpoint Research.

The damage was concentrated exactly where Chinese brands are most exposed: the entry- and mid-range segments. Sales of phones priced below Rs 15,000 plunged 45% year-on-year, the single steepest fall of any price band, and it was this collapse that dragged down brands built around affordable devices.

Xiaomi, including its Poco sub-brand, slipped to fourth place with a combined 13.4% share, and Realme finished fifth at 10%; both recorded sales declines as repeated price increases across their budget line-ups weakened consumer demand. Oppo fared relatively better, holding third at 13.6% by leaning on stronger demand for devices priced above Rs 20,000. Vivo, also a Chinese brand, still topped the rankings with 17.8% share despite a double-digit sales decline of its own.

Counterpoint senior analyst Prachir Singh said that because most Chinese brands remain heavily exposed to the entry- and mid-tier segments, their overall market share fell to its lowest level for a second consecutive calendar quarter since 2020. The firm traced the slowdown to record-high memory prices, which have climbed nearly four-fold since September 2025 and forced manufacturers to raise smartphone prices multiple times this year, pushing average prices up roughly 15% by the end of the June quarter.

Samsung was the only top-five brand to buck the trend, growing shipments 2% year-on-year to a 17.6% share and narrowing the gap with Vivo. Apple’s shipments fell 3% as strong demand for the iPhone 17 series ran into supply constraints and inventory shortages, leaving its market share at 7%.

Several Chinese brands have responded by expanding their 4G portfolios in the affordable segment, betting that price-sensitive buyers will choose a cheaper 4G device over a pricier 5G one until memory costs ease. Meanwhile, the premium segment above Rs 45,000 stayed largely stable, helped by NBFC and credit-card EMI financing that made expensive phones easier to afford — financing covered more than half of mainline smartphone sales during the quarter.

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