Premium Phones Take Over India, Yet Vivo Stays No.1 For The 7th Time In A Row
India’s phone market just saw a major shift, with sister brands ruling the budget segment while premium phones hit record highs.
India’s smartphone market grew in the third quarter of 2025 (3Q25), and the biggest push came from premium phones. An IDC report shows that brands like Vivo and Xiaomi, which come from sister companies, stayed strong with a mix of budget and mid-range phones. At the same time, Apple and Samsung continued to grow side by side in the higher price ranges.
Apple even hit its highest-ever shipments in India this quarter. Overall, 48 million phones were shipped, showing how fast India is moving toward premium models.
Vivo, Xiaomi Shine As Sister Brands Lead
The IDC report clearly shows how the market behaved in 3Q25. Premium phones led the growth, pushing average selling prices to a record US$294.
Brands under the same parent groups, like Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, and realme, performed strongly across multiple price levels.
- Vivo stayed the number-one brand for the seventh time in a row. Its mix of phones across all price segments helped it hold the top spot.
- Oppo, another sister brand, moved up to second place by focusing hard on offline stores and trade schemes.
- Xiaomi and realme continued to dominate the entry-level segment, taking over half the shipments in phones under US$100.
Meanwhile, Apple and Samsung were strong players in the premium and super-premium categories.
Apple’s iPhone 16 was the most-shipped phone in the whole country, and the iPhone 17 series delivered the brand’s best launch quarter since 2021.
Samsung led the US$400–US$600 mid-premium range thanks to huge online discounts on the Galaxy S24.
Premium Phones Are The First Choice Of Many
The IDC report also shows a clear shift: Indians are buying more premium phones than ever.
- Premium (US$600–US$800) grew 43.3% YoY, mostly because of strong Apple sales.
- Super-premium (US$800+) grew the fastest at 52.9% YoY, with Apple taking 66% share and Samsung at 31%.
- Offline shopping also grew big, up 21.8% YoY, because brands offered discounts, schemes, and good margins to store partners.
In short, according to the IDC report, India’s smartphone market in 3Q25 proved one thing clearly: sister brands like Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, and realme ruled the mass market, while Apple and Samsung grew together at the top end.
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