Smartphone prices are rising as higher memory and chipset costs squeeze manufacturers' margins, with Realme, Oppo, Vivo, Samsung and OnePlus hiking prices across select models.
The price hikes are coming at a difficult time for the market, with consumers already becoming more cautious about spending. Counterpoint Research's India Weekly Smartphone Sellout Tracker found that sales during April-July 2026 were largely below year-ago levels, with major online sales offering only temporary relief.
Realme, Oppo, Vivo, Samsung, OnePlus hike prices
Since August 18, Realme has reportedly raised prices by Rs 1,000-4,000 across several models. Oppo has increased prices by up to Rs 5,000 on select Reno and A-series phones, while Vivo has raised prices by Rs 500-4,000 on multiple models in some regions.
Samsung has hiked prices on select S-series, M-series and F-series phones. One variant of the Galaxy S25 is now Rs 12,000 more expensive.
OnePlus has also increased prices of select smartphones by Rs 2,000-4,000.
A OnePlus India spokesperson told TOI that the latest hikes reflect broader industry cost pressures, particularly rising memory costs.
Smartphone prices may rise another 7-10%
Upasana Joshi, senior research manager, Devices Research, IDC Asia Pacific, said rising memory costs had already pushed average smartphone prices up around 15% by the end of Q2 2026.
She expects continued memory and component cost increases to drive another 7-10% rise in smartphone prices in the coming months.
Counterpoint Research analyst Shubham Singh said price hikes are becoming increasingly unavoidable as smartphone makers pass higher costs to consumers. New phones are also launching at higher price points.
Joshi said EMIs and financing options could help cushion the impact of higher smartphone prices on consumers.
Consumers are waiting for discounts
The higher prices are already affecting buying behaviour.
Counterpoint said smartphone sales during April-July remained largely below year-ago levels. Sales briefly picked up around Amazon Prime Day and the Flipkart GOAT Sale in July, but then declined for three consecutive weeks after the promotions ended.
Only two weeks during the period recorded year-on-year growth, with both supported by major sale events.
Prachir Singh, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, said price hikes are making consumers more value-conscious and increasingly dependent on promotional offers. Prices of affected models increased by an average of around Rs 3,200 between April and July 2026, particularly in mass-market segments.
Festive sales could offer some relief
Counterpoint expects smartphone demand to improve gradually ahead of the festive season as brands ramp up discounts, financing schemes and new launches.
However, affordability will remain a key challenge. Research Director Tarun Pathak expects the Indian smartphone market to decline around 13% year-on-year in 2026, although the second half could perform better than the first as festive demand supports replacement purchases.
(With inputs from TOI)
