India has emerged as a critical market for Chinese smartphone manufacturers, with Vivo accounting for 34% of its global shipments in calendar year 2025, according to OMDIA data. The brand maintained its market leadership in India's second quarter of CY26, capturing an 18% share of the overall smartphone market. Vivo is now expanding its Indian operations through a joint venture with Dixon Technologies to increase smartphone production capacity.
The dependency pattern extends across other Chinese brands owned by BBK Electronics, with Realme and OnePlus recording 35% and 32% of their global shipments from India respectively. Oppo shipped 23% of its global units to India in CY25. Even Motorola, controlled by Chinese giant Lenovo, derives 20% of its global shipments from India and exports Indian-assembled smartphones directly to the US market.
The Indian market significance becomes clearer when compared to other global players. Nothing, the London-based smartphone maker founded by former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, derives 71% of its global shipments from India. In contrast, Xiaomi represents only 12% of its global shipments from India, as the brand has focused on European expansion to become the third-largest player globally behind Apple and Samsung. Transsion accounts for just 6% of its global shipments due to its strong presence in Africa, Latin America, and West Asia.
According to OMDIA analyst Sanyam Chaurasia, most Chinese brands except Xiaomi are not global players, with Xiaomi, Samsung, and Apple being the only true global smartphone players. Samsung represents only 10% of its global shipments from India, securing the number two position domestically with a 17% volume market share in Q2CY26. Apple accounts for 6% of its global shipments from India, yet remains the fifth-largest selling phone in the country with a 10% market share in Q2CY26.
