New Delhi, Oct. 19 -- Higher phone prices and cautious spending restrained India's festive-season smartphone trade, while retailers held back on stock, according to Omdia. Later Diwali inventory-building also moved some shipments from September into October, deepening the decline recorded for July through September.

In its October 19 report, Omdia estimated shipments at 35.8 million units, down 26% from the same quarter in 2025. That was the lowest third-quarter volume since 2016, not the lowest shipment total across every quarter since then.

The measure concerns phones entering the market's distribution channels, rather than a count of purchases at retail counters. Delayed stocking can affect that measure without establishing an equiva...