India's smartphone shipments rebound in Q2, driven by new launches and inventory push
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New Delhi: Smartphone shipments rose in the three months ended June, rebounding from two straight quarters of decline, as inventory challenges eased for brands, spurring fresh launches and vendor activity, according to market trackers.Shipments grew 7% on-year and 21% sequentially to 39 million units in Q2 2025, according to Canalys. IDC's preliminary data reported an estimated 34-36 million units getting shipped, a 3-4% rise on-year.Counterpoint Research expects the industry to record flat shipment growth in the first half of 2025, after recovering in the second quarter with 7% on-year increase, recovering from a 7% decline in Q1 to 32 million units.Shipments in the March quarter got impacted by persistent demand weakness and elevated channel inventory from late 2024.'The growth in Q2 was primarily launch-led momentum, rather than organic demand in the market, which remains persistently low,' said Sanyam Chaurasia, analyst at Canalys. 'Many new devices were launched in Q2, particularly in April and May, with some launches possibly being strategic shifts rather than direct delays from the March quarter.''While specific numbers are still being compiled, the expectation is that more launches occurred in Q2 than in Q1 this year,' he said.According to IDC, brands significantly added inventory in the June quarter, particularly through offline retail channels.'Offline heavy brands like Vivo/Oppo continue to support offline channels with extra margins and schemes to liquidate old stocks and even on new launches, thus preparing ahead of the upcoming festive season,' said Upasana Joshi, senior research manager, IDC.Vivo and Oppo saw sustained growth in the first half of 2025, growing 31% and 24% on-year respectively, according to Canalys. Offline channels embraced new launches from the two Chinese brands due to higher dealer margins.Others, like Samsung kept a more measured approach ahead of the festive season, with shipments growing a marginal 2% on-year. Xiaomi's shipments were 25% lower on-year in Q2 but improved sequentially after a muted first quarter, Canalys said.Apple continued its growth momentum, ranking sixth in Q2, with the iPhone 16 accounting for over 55% of shipments.'Recovery came despite a seasonally soft quarter amid multiple headwinds, including extreme weather conditions, US tariff tensions and geopolitical uncertainty,' Canalys said.Smartphone brands are now actively locking inventory with distributors and retailers through channel incentive programmes ahead of the festive season.'With limited organic demand, India's smartphone market in H2 2025 will hinge more on channel execution than product launches,' Chaurasia said, adding brands are offering high-value rewards, ranging from foreign trips to vehicle awards for meeting sales targets during the festive season.Meanwhile, the industry is doubling down on affordability by expanding long-tenure financing options, especially for mid to high-end models, to boost demand in the short term, he added.
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