Published on: Nov 12, 2025 04:29 pm IST
Samsung has fallen behind in the latest smartphone rankings. Here’s who now dominates the Indian market and why.
India’s smartphone market recorded its strongest growth in five years during the third quarter of 2025 (3Q25), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). Shipments increased by 4.3 per cent year-on-year to almost 48 million units, due to strong demand for premium smartphones and successful festive sales. However, weaker sales of budget models and higher average prices slowed overall momentum.
Vivo Overtakes Samsung
Samsung, which held the second position in India’s smartphone rankings last year, has now slipped to third place. IDC data shows Vivo leading with an 18.3 percent market share, followed by Oppo at 13.9 percent. Samsung came third with 12.6 per cent, which is a slight improvement on 12.3 per cent in Q3 2024, but it is losing ground to competitors that are growing faster.
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Apple climbed to fourth with a 10.4 percent share, up from 8.6 percent a year earlier, its highest ever in India. The company’s year-on-year growth of 25.6 percent underlines the growth of the premium market.
Apple Tops Premium Segment, Samsung Leads Mid-Premium
In the super-premium segment (priced above Rs. 70,000), Samsung lost its top position to Apple in Q3 2025. The South Korean company now ranks second in this price band. However, it continues to lead the mid-premium segment (Rs. 20,000 to 40,000), where it saw steady demand for mid-range models.
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Other brands saw mixed results. Motorola grew the fastest with a 52.4 percent year-over-year increase and has reached an 8.3 percent market share. Meanwhile, there were declines for Realme, Xiaomi and OnePlus, in line with a slowdown in the entry-level and budget categories.
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What Lies Ahead
With no major Samsung launches planned in the next few months, the company may find it challenging to recover its lost position soon. The report suggests that Indian buyers are increasingly favouring feature-rich and premium models, a trend likely to continue into 2026.
