Indian smartphone market declined 7% in Q1 2025: Vivo gains ground as Xiaomi, Samsung stumble

India’s smartphone market saw a 7% year-on-year decline in Q1 2025, according to a new report by CyberMedia Research (CMR). The slump has been attributed to “shifting consumer preferences and intensified competition” across segments.

Interestingly, despite the overall decline, the premium smartphone segment ( ₹25,000 and above) and the ultra-budget segment (below ₹7,000) recorded modest growth. In contrast, the value-for-money category ( ₹7,000– ₹25,000), which forms a bulk of the market, declined by 6% YoY.

Meanwhile, 5G smartphones made up 86% of the total shipments in Q1 2025 and saw a 14% overall YoY growth. Affordable 5G phones ranging between ₹8,000– ₹13,000 saw the biggest 100% jump in shipments.

Menka Kumari, Senior Analyst at CyberMedia Research (CMR), said in a blogpost, “The <INR 10,000 5G smartphone segment witnessed over 500% YoY growth in Q1 2025. This reflects 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 feature phone segment fell 17% YoY, while 4G feature phones declined sharply by 66% YoY.”

Xiaomi, Samsung see sharpest decline as Vivo takes lead

According to CMR, Vivo emerged as the top smartphone brand in India in Q1 2025, capturing a 20% market share and recording 18% year-on-year growth. Five of its models, Vivo Y29, T3 Lite, T3X, and T4X, contributed to nearly 43% of the brand’s 5G shipments during the quarter.

Samsung held the second spot with an 18% market share but saw a 13% YoY decline in the value-for-money segment.

Xiaomi witnessed the steepest fall, slipping to a 13% market share with a 37% YoY decline. The brand struggled across both its value-for-money and affordable smartphone segments, the report noted.

In the feature phone segment, the report highlighted a 17% YoY decline in 2G phone shipments and a massive 66% drop in 4G feature phone shipments. Itel continues to lead the 2G segment with a 41% market share, followed by Lava at 31% and HMD at 19%.