July smartphone imports continue to be high as brands prepare for festive season

New Delhi: Smartphone brands continued to import in large numbers in July to offset ongoing disruption in local production as they prepared for the upcoming festive season, which has become critical to salvage what could be an otherwise difficult year owing to the pandemic.

Data released by the commerce ministry shows that imports of smartphones in July stood at Rs 2,085.2 crore—a marginal 6% fall sequentially but still the second highest in three years.