Rising cost fuels rush for refurbished devices
NEW DELHI: India’s refurbished smartphones and laptops market is set to significantly outperform the market for new devices this year as soaring memory costs push up prices and drive more consumers towards certified pre-owned alternatives. The trend is also prompting leading brands to strengthen their official refurbished programmes, signalling that the secondary market is becoming increasingly mainstream.Counterpoint Research expects India’s refurbished smartphone market to grow about 12% year-on-year in 2026 even as new smartphone shipments are projected to decline 11%. The research firm also expects the refurbished laptop market to post double-digit growth this year as higher PC prices and improving consumer confidence in certified refurbished devices boost demand. Omdia’s forecast for the laptop market in 2026 pegged shipments to be down 9.8% to 14.3 million units from 15.8 million in 2025.
The pressure is already visible in the primary market. According to IDC, the average selling price (ASP) of smartphones in India rose 10.4% year-on-year to a record $302 in the Jan-March quarter, while shipments fell 4.1%. Counterpoint estimates that more than 85% of smartphone models have already seen price increases this year, with average hikes of around 15%, while newly launched devices are priced 30-40% higher than their predecessors because of component inflation.Major brands are responding to the shift. Samsung expanded its official certified refurbished smartphone programme in India in May.
