A report from a market research company reveals that India's smartphone market witnessed a 3% year-on-year increase in shipments during the third quarter of 2025, with the total number of shipped smartphones hitting 48.4 million units. In anticipation of robust demand during the festive season, vendors proactively increased their inventory levels. The key factors driving this growth were the launch of new products in July and August, retail incentives, and inventory adjustments in the lead-up to Diwali, a major Indian festival known for its high consumer spending. Vivo (excluding iQOO) emerged as the market leader, shipping 9.7 million units and securing a 20% market share. Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO (excluding OnePlus), and Apple followed in the rankings. Analysts pointed out that the growth in this quarter was primarily propelled by incentive-driven channel sales strategies rather than a genuine resurgence in consumer demand. Incentives encouraged channels to offload their stock, and vendors stepped up their consumer-oriented promotional campaigns.