Chinese smartphone makers are fast losing their appeal among Indian consumers as the global memory chip shortage pushed up device prices, making smartphones less affordable. Brands such as Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi and Realme witnessed a sharper double-digit decline in shipments in India in the second quarter of 2026, according to International Data Corporation (IDC), a technology intelligence company.
These companies are popular in India, particularly in the entry-level and mass-budget segments, by offering feature-rich devices at relatively lower prices. However, rising memory prices have forced smartphone makers to increase device prices to offset higher component costs. At the same time, lucrative discounts and financing options have also narrowed, further affecting demand. According to IDC, the average selling price (ASP) of smartphones in India reached a record high of $315 in Q2 2026, up 14.4% year-on-year.
As per IDC, Vivo witnessed a 13% year-on-year decline in shipments of mobile phones. Its market share dropped from 19% a year ago to 18.4% in the second quarter. Realme, with a 9.3% market share, recorded a 14.2% decline in shipments, while Xiaomi, which held a 9.7% market share, saw its unit shipments fall 10% year-on-year. Oppo, the third-largest smartphone brand in India with a 13.8% market share, witnessed an 8.5% decline in shipments.
Other Chinese brands also reported declines. Poco, OnePlus and iQOO recorded year-on-year shipment declines of 12.3%, 2.5% and 61%, respectively.
Meanwhile, according to the report, shipments of Apple remained largely flat, constrained by supply shortages affecting the iPhone 15, iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 series. Despite the supply constraints, the iPhone 17 remained the top-shipped device consecutively in Q1 and Q2 2026.
South Korean electronics major Samsung also saw its shipments remain largely flat, making it one of the few major smartphone brands to maintain its position in a shrinking market.
Overall, India's smartphone shipments declined 11.1% year-on-year to 33.2 million units in Q2 2026.