NEW DELHI– India’s smartphone exports jumped 39 percent in August to $1.53 billion, up from $1.09 billion a year earlier, according to new data released Wednesday by the India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA).
The industry group pushed back against recent claims of a slowdown, noting that shipments have in fact surged — particularly to the United States. Exports to the U.S. more than doubled last month, soaring 148 percent from $388 million in August 2024 to $965 million this year.
For the first five months of fiscal year 2026, smartphone exports to the U.S. reached $8.43 billion, a 193 percent increase from the $2.88 billion recorded in the same period last year. That figure already amounts to nearly 80 percent of total U.S.-bound smartphone exports during all of FY25.
Overall, India’s smartphone exports between April and August 2025 hit a record Rs 1 lakh crore, or about $11.7 billion. That represents a 55 percent increase over the $7.6 billion posted in the same five-month stretch of the previous fiscal year.
ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said commentary suggesting a decline was based on selective or simplistic readings of trade data. “Oversimplification of trade data — and worse, inferences based on monthly comparisons — is misleading and avoidable. It’s important that subject matter experts are consulted before drawing sector-specific conclusions,” he said.
The association noted that August and early September are typically weaker months for exports as companies prepare for new model launches in late September and October. Production also shifts toward the domestic market ahead of the Diwali season, before exports climb again later in the year to meet global holiday demand.
Despite seasonal dips, ICEA stressed that smartphones remain India’s strongest export category. Since the introduction of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, smartphones have risen from India’s 167th-ranked export in FY15 to the country’s top export category by FY25. (Source: IANS)
