Affordable 5G smartphone shipments surge over 1,900 pc in India in 2025
The affordable 5G smartphone shipments surged over 1,900 per cent in India in 2025 (year-on-year), steered by aggressive pricing, enhanced availability of entry-level 5G chipsets and expanding nationwide 5G network coverage, a report showed on Monday.
India’s smartphone market entered a phase of structural transition in 2025, marked by explosive growth in affordable 5G devices and sustained premium demand, and the most significant shift came from the Rs 6,000–Rs 8,000 price segment, according to the report by CyberMedia Research (CMR).
5G smartphones accounted for 88 per cent of total shipments, up 12 per cent YoY, underscoring how 5G has moved decisively from a premium feature to a market default.
Apple delivered 25 per cent (on-year) growth in India, reaching 9 per cent market share. The base iPhone 16 accounts for 47 per cent of 16-series volumes, underscoring strong preference for the value-led base model over Pro/Plus variants.
“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 a?ordable 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.
In 2025, smartphones with 6.7-inch and larger displays accounted for nearly 80 per cent of shipments, firmly establishing large screens as the standard consumer preference.
The feature phone market continued to decline, with 2G feature phones down 12 per cent YoY and 4G feature phones down 48 per cent.
MediaTek led India’s smartphone chipset market with 45 per cent market share. Qualcomm led the premium smartphone segment with a 34 per cent share, said the report.
“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.
Consumers have not stepped away from the smartphone market; instead, they are becoming increasingly selective, extending device lifecycles and upgrading only when the value proposition is compelling, he mentioned.
