India Smartphone Sales Slump 10% as Premium Segment Surges

Every year, millions of people in India buy new smartphones.

But during the spring of 2026, about one in ten fewer phones were sold compared with the year before.

This means many people decided to wait before getting a new phone.

One reason is that phones have become more expensive to build and to buy.

Stores and companies also had too many phones left over from earlier.

The biggest drop happened with cheaper phones, especially those priced below Rs 25,000.

At the same time, people kept buying very expensive phones, especially ones costing between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh.

Offers like zero-cost EMI plans and trade-in deals made those pricier phones easier to afford.

Experts think the whole year will finish with around 10 to 12 percent fewer smartphones sold.