India’s smartphone market is seeing tough times in early 2025, and top brands like Xiaomi and Samsung are feeling the heat. As per Dixon Technologies, both companies saw big drops in their shipments during the first quarter of the year.
Xiaomi faced the biggest hit. Without including its sub-brand Poco, its shipments dropped by a huge 38%. This drop pushed its market share down from 18% to just 12% compared to last year. Samsung didn’t do much better — its shipments went down by 23%, with 5.1 million units shipped, and its market share slid from 19% to 16%.
But while these two struggled, Vivo continued to do well. It stayed at the top by shipping 7 million smartphones, keeping a strong 22% market share. Oppo (excluding OnePlus) and Realme also managed to grow in a shrinking market. Oppo’s shipments grew by 5%, reaching 3.9 million, and Realme saw a 3% increase with 3.5 million units shipped — putting them in the fourth and fifth spots.
On the flip side, Apple had its best-ever Q1 in India. The iPhone 16 series was a big hit, especially thanks to Republic Day deals and the success of the iPhone 16e in smaller cities and towns.
Although Samsung faced high stock levels early in the quarter and saw an overall drop, its premium Galaxy S25 series actually grew 5% compared to last year’s Galaxy S24. New features like conversational AI helped the company keep its grip on the premium segment.
Overall, the Indian smartphone market is shrinking, but some brands are finding ways to grow — while others are being left behind.
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