The Indian smartphone market has witnessed multiple price hikes in the last year from multiple handset makers, including Samsung, OnePlus, Vivo, iQOO, Oppo, Realme, and Apple. Now, a report from market analysis firm Counterpoint Research details how the incessant price hikes affected the Indian smartphone market in the first half (H1) of the ongoing year. According to the report, on average, smartphone makers raised prices of their offerings by 16 percent in H1 2026. However, OnePlus bucked this trend with significantly lower price increases in the same period. The company also became the fastest-growing brand online, recording a notable quarter-on-quarter shipment growth.
OnePlus Raised Smartphone Prices by 8 Percent on Average in H1 2026
In its latest market research report, Counterpoint Research claimed that the Indian smartphone market witnessed handset prices rising by 16 percent on average in H1 2026. On the other hand, OnePlus raised the prices of its phones by 8 percent on average, which is half the industry average. On the contrary, it became the fastest-growing smartphone brand among the top five brands on online retail channels in the sub-Rs. 20,000 range in the second quarter of 2026.
However, it is worth noting that the report was prepared based on findings from a white paper developed by the market research firm in collaboration with OnePlus. Yet, it does reflect how the overall Indian smartphone market was affected by repeated price hikes. Counterpoint Research predicts that the ongoing memory and storage shortage, which is increasing the prices of DRAM and NAND sticks, is unlikely to cool down before 2028.
The report highlights that the sub-Rs. 10,000 price segment increased by 29 percent on average. This budget segment was the most affected by the price hikes in India in H1 2026. Meanwhile, the below-Rs. 45,000 price segment was the least affected, recording a 9 percent price rise on average in the given period. Moreover, the report claims that more than 380 smartphone models were affected by the recent price increases in the country.
In H1 2026, the Indian smartphone market recorded the highest price hike of 113 percent. Meanwhile, the lowest recorded price increase was 2 percent. The report says, “The gap held not just on average but at the extremes as well.” The steep and repeated price hikes also resulted in a year-on-year drop of 65 percent in the sub-Rs. 10,000 smartphone segment in the country.
Meanwhile, the Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 price bracket saw shipments reduce by 20 percent YoY in H1 2026, which Counterpoint Research claims is “historically one of the biggest in the market”. At the same time, smartphones priced above Rs. 20,000 were relatively less affected, while recording growth, seemingly because of “trade-in offers and no-cost EMI” options, making pricier models more affordable.
