5G Smartphone Shipments Surge in India: India’s smartphone market entered a phase of structural transformation in 2025, mainly due to explosive growth in affordable 5G devices and sustained demand for premium products, news agency IANS reported citing data from CyberMedia Research, adding that the most significant shift came from the Rs 6,000-Rs 8,000 price segment.
Along with that, the shipments of affordable 5G smartphones in India also surged by over 1,900 per cent year-on-year in 2025, the report said on Monday. This rise is being driven by aggressive pricing, improved availability of entry-level 5G chipsets, and expanding nationwide 5G network coverage, the report added.
5G Becomes the Market Default
Of total shipments, 88 per cent were 5G smartphones, up 12 per cent from last year, underscoring how 5G has evolved from a premium feature to a market necessity.
Apple Posts Strong Growth in India
Apple in India registered a growth of 25 per cent year-on-year and captured 9 per cent market share. The base model of the iPhone 16 accounts for 47 per cent of total 16-series sales, underscoring the strong preference for the value-based base model over the Pro/Plus variants.
Market Recalibration, Not Contraction
“2025 was a year of recalibration rather than contraction for India’s smartphone market. While overall volumes softened marginally, the fundamentals remained strong. The rapid scaling of affordable 5G, resilient premium demand, and the rise of challenger brands point to a market that is evolving structurally, not weakening,” said Menka Kumari, Senior Analyst–Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR.
Large-Screen Smartphones Dominate Shipments
In 2025, smartphones with displays of 6.7 inches and larger accounted for nearly 80 per cent of total shipments, firmly establishing large-screen phones as the standard choice for consumers.
Feature Phone Market Continues to Decline
The feature phone market continued to decline, with 2G feature phone sales falling 12 per cent year-on-year and 4G feature phone sales falling 48 per cent.
MediaTek, Qualcomm Lead Chipset Segments
According to the report, MediaTek led the Indian smartphone chipset market with a 45 per cent market share, while Qualcomm led the premium smartphone segment with a 34 per cent share.
Pricing Pressures Likely to Shape 2026 Demand
“In 2026, elevated component and memory costs are expected to keep pricing under pressure, leading to more measured purchasing behaviour through the year,” said Pankaj Jadli, Analyst–Industry Intelligence Group at CMR.
He pointed out that consumers have not turned away from the smartphone market; rather, they are becoming more selective, extending the lifecycle of devices and upgrading only when the value proposition is attractive.
Doonited Affiliated: Syndicate News Hunt
This report has been published as part of an auto-generated syndicated wire feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been modified or edited by Doonited
