AI to be core selling point, as smartphone makers look to stand out amid rising hardware costs
New Delhi: Smartphones in 2026 are expected to double down on artificial intelligence as a core selling point, powered by new flagship chips optimised for on-device generative AI capabilities such as summarisation, image creation, and offline assistants to drive software-based differentiation amid rising hardware costs.
Shipments of AI-capable phones in India more than doubled year-on-year in Q3 2025, and is expected to grow just as fast in 2026. According to Omdia, 12% of India’s annual smartphone shipments in 2025 is expected to be AI-capable.
