India's smartphone market saw shipment volumes decline 4.1% in Q1, totaling 31 million units, while market value grew by 5.8%. Rising memory prices prompted brands to front-load inventory, though consumer demand remained subdued. vivo maintained its lead with 19.6% market share, followed by Samsung at 17.1%. Oppo emerged as the strongest performer with 22% growth, capturing 15.3% of the market.

The market witnessed a significant polarization, with under-$100 phone sales plummeting 59% year-on-year. Conversely, premium segments experienced substantial growth: $600-800 phones rose 32%, $400-600 segment increased 29%, and $100-200 segment grew 10%. The average selling price reached an all-time high of $302, reflecting consumers being pushed upmarket by necessity rather than aspiration.

Offline sales now command 62% of the market, up from previous periods, while online sales declined to 38%. OnePlus suffered the most dramatic decline at 32%, reducing its market share to 1.7%. This shift reshapes demand forecasting, with companies heavily reliant on entry-level devices facing shrinking margins and reduced market viability as memory prices continue to rise.