India’s refurbished smartphone market gains as buyers trade up to premium devices
Rising new-phone prices are pushing Indian consumers towards certified refurbished devices. Cashify reported 30.8% growth in renewed-phone demand, while Counterpoint forecasts the market will expand 16% in 2026, supported by premium inventory, warranties and EMI options.
What happened
India’s organised refurbished-device market is expanding as new smartphone prices rise. Cashify cites strong premium renewed-phone demand, while Counterpoint
Key facts
- India refurbished smartphone volumes grew 13% YoY in H1 2026
- Cashify reported renewed-phone demand growth of 30.8%
- Samsung held 30% share of the pre-owned smartphone market in H1 2026
- Apple held 23% share
- Vivo held 10% share
- Demand for refurbished phones above Rs 45,000 rose 17.4% in 2025
- Rs 20,000-Rs 45,000 was the largest refurbished-phone sales band in 2025
- India refurbished smartphone market is forecast to grow 16% in 2026
- Sub-Rs 10,000 sales fell to 8.4% in 2025 from 10.7% in 2024
- Apple accounted for over 65% of refurbished-phone sales
- Other refurbished devices represented 16.7% of sales in 2025 versus 8% in 2024
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra renewed price: Rs 97,499, around Rs 32,500 below official price
- ControlZ and Bajaj Finance introduced 24-month EMI financing
Why this matters
Smartphone brands, retailers and fintechs should pursue partnerships or acquisitions in certified recommerce to capture trade-in supply, recurring upgrade cycles and premium refurbished demand.
What to watch
- Monthly growth in certified refurbished smartphone GMV, units and average selling price, especially in the ₹20,000–₹45,000 and above-₹45,000 segments.
- Trade-in volumes and the mix of premium iPhone and flagship Android inventory entering refurbishment channels.
- New-phone price increases, OEM financing promotions, exchange bonuses and seasonal discount intensity.
- Approval rates and default performance for EMI/BNPL purchases of refurbished devices.
- Warranty claims, return rates, battery-related complaints and consumer-review trends for certified refurbished sellers.
- Changes in GST treatment, e-waste/refurbishment rules, right-to-repair policy or device-import restrictions.
- Premium refurbished-device discount versus new-device street price after bank offers.
- Expand premium-device sourcing through trade-in partnerships with OEMs, carriers, large-format electronics retailers and enterprise device-refresh programs.
- Standardize visible certification metrics, especially battery health, repair history, authenticity checks and warranty coverage, to reduce perceived purchase risk.
- Offer EMI, buy-now-pay-later and trade-in credits targeted at the ₹20,000–₹45,000 tier while building dedicated propositions for devices above ₹45,000.
- Increase refurbishment capacity for high-value models and prioritize parts availability, rapid turnaround and low return rates over broad low-end inventory expansion.
- Use pricing intelligence to maintain a meaningful discount to comparable new models after accounting for exchange offers and financing subsidies.
- Build repeat-purchase loops with upgrade guarantees, device buyback commitments and post-sale protection plans.