India, Dec. 16 -- Shoppers waiting for year-end discounts on smartphones may need to rethink their plans. Over the past few months, several phone makers have increased the prices of mid-range and budget models after launch, without major announcements. The trend affects devices released within the last six months and cuts across brands such as Vivo, iQOO, Realme, OPPO, Redmi, Samsung, and Motorola.

Vivo stands among the brands that revised prices soon after launch. The company recently introduced phones like the Vivo T4 Lite, T4x, T4, and T4R with low entry prices to compete in the under-Rs. 20,000 and under-Rs. 25,000 segments. The Vivo T4 Lite started at Rs. 9,999 but now sells from Rs. 11,999. Prices of the T4x and T4 series rose by R...