Samsung says India is among its fastest-growing markets for AI appliances

Newly connected Samsung appliances in India rose from 82,000 in 2022 to 732,000 last year. More than half of appliances sold locally are AI-enabled, with Samsung planning to extend AI features from premium to entry-level products.

— Source publishedSun, 20 Sept, 2026, 13:28 IST·First seen Sun, 20 Sept, 2026, 13:42 IST·Source Business Standard · Companies

What happened

Samsung says India is among its fastest-growing markets for AI appliances, driven by young SmartThings users. It plans broader AI appliance availability across

Key facts

  • Newly connected Samsung appliances in India rose from 82,000 in 2022 to 732,000 last year
  • Southwest Asia share of Samsung connected devices rose from 2% in 2022 to 13% in 2026
  • 71% of active SmartThings users in India and Southwest Asia are in their 20s and 30s, versus 48% globally
  • More than 50% of Samsung appliances sold in India are AI-enabled
  • Samsung targets 800 million AI-enabled devices globally by year-end, versus 400 million last year
  • Over 95% of Samsung appliances sold in India are manufactured domestically
  • Indian usage of the AI feature is 10% higher than in other countries

Why this matters

Samsung should pursue Indian partnerships in connectivity, software, financing, and after-sales service to accelerate AI appliance adoption beyond premium urban consumers.

What to watch

  • Share of Samsung India appliance sales that are AI-enabled and the pace of entry-level model launches.
  • Connected appliance activations versus units shipped, indicating whether consumers are actually using smart features.
  • Average selling prices and gross-margin trends in refrigerators, washers and air conditioners.
  • Festive-season financing penetration, exchange uptake and demand elasticity in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
  • Competitive AI/smart-appliance launches and price cuts from LG, Haier, Whirlpool, Godrej and Indian brands.
  • Growth in SmartThings-linked multi-device households, service requests and extended-warranty attach rates.
  • Data privacy, interoperability or connectivity issues that could slow adoption.
  • Expand AI-enabled models into mid-price and entry-level ranges while preserving premium feature differentiation.
  • Use SmartThings bundles across phones, TVs and appliances to increase ecosystem lock-in and cross-category conversion.
  • Increase in-store demos, regional-language onboarding and installer training to improve activation and use of connected features.
  • Pair appliance launches with EMI offers, exchange programs, extended warranties and service subscriptions.
  • Build retailer incentives around connected-device activation rather than only sell-in volumes.