While the smartphone market as a whole is struggling right now, there are some bright spots. Google Pixel is managing to grow on the global market, but India in particular is doing well, with Pixel and Nothing as the two fastest-growing brands in the region.
A new report from Counterpoint Research details Q2 2026 smartphone shipments in India, with an overall decline of 10% year-over-year. Vivo and iQOO both lost market share, while Samsung was the only top brand to grow in shipments — and even then, by a mere 2%.
Nothing was India’s fastest-growing smartphone brand overall, seeing 105% growth year-over-year. Counterpoint attributes that to interest in the Nothing Phone (4a) series and Nothing’s title sponsorship with the RCB cricket team.
Google Pixel, meanwhile, was the fastest-growing brand in the “ultra-premium” space (phones priced over INR 45,000). Pixel managed 68% growth in Q2 in India, attributed to marketing, a push into offline retail sales, and no price hikes on its products.
The Indian market is shifting. Chinese brands are losing ground, and consumers are gravitating toward alternatives that offer something different.