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New Delhi: India’s smartphone market grew 3 per cent year-on-year in the July-September period, reaching 48.4 million units shipped, as Apple posted its highest-ever shipments in the country in Q3, securing 10 per cent cent share, a new report showed on Tuesday.

According to global research firm Omdia, vendors filled the channels with new stocks in expectation of a high-demand festive period. The modest growth was driven by a wave of new launches in July and August, retail incentivisation and an earlier festive season that pulled forward inventory flows.

“With limited organic demand, Q3’s momentum was largely sustained through incentive-led channel push rather than pure consumer recovery,” said Sanyam Chaurasia, Principal Analyst at Omdia.

Vendors reallocated marketing budgets to high-impact retail incentive programs that rewarded sell-through, ranging from cash-per-unit bonuses to tiered margins and contest dealers with rewards such as gold. coins, bikes, and international trips.

“These incentives motivated distributors and retailers to absorb higher inventory ahead of the festive season. At the same time, vendors intensified consumer-facing schemes – from zero-down-payment EMIs, micro-installment plans, bundled accessories and extended warranties – to drive conversions,” Chaurasia added.

Vivo (excluding iQOO) extended its lead in the market with 9.7 million units shipped, capturing a 20 per cent market share.

Samsung ranked second with 6.8 million units and a 14 percent market share, followed by Xiaomi in third place, narrowly overtaking OPPO (excluding OnePlus), with both vendors shipping 6.5 million. units.

Apple returned to the top five with 4.9 million units, with incremental growth driven by smaller tier cities.

“Smaller cities drove volumes through aspirational demand, aggressive festive offers and wider availability. While older iPhones 16s and 15s drove major shipments under discount-led upgrades, the iPhone 17 base model gained traction, supported by a strong iPhone 12-15 install base upgrades,” said Chaurasia.

Looking ahead, Apple will aim for Pro-model upgrades and deepen its ecosystem to drive long-term value, the report added.