Amid a largely stagnant smartphone market, Apple has delivered its best-ever performance in India, driven by a sharp rise in iPhone shipments and growing local manufacturing strength.
According to a recent industry report, Apple shipped around 14 million iPhones in India in 2025, expanding its market share to a record 9%, up from nearly 7% in 2024. This growth came even as India’s overall smartphone shipments stayed flat at about 152–153 million units, making Apple one of the few brands to post strong gains in the world’s 2nd-largest smartphone market by volume.
Market data from an industry research firm shows that Apple’s wider product lineup played a key role in this surge. The range included the latest iPhone 17 series, the iPhone 16 series, and the more affordable iPhone 16e. Strong availability across online and offline retail channels, combined with easy financing options such as no-cost EMIs and bank offers, also helped boost sales.
Despite Apple’s momentum, the broader Indian smartphone market remained mostly unchanged throughout the year, reflecting cautious consumer spending and longer device replacement cycles.
India has also emerged as a critical pillar in Apple’s global manufacturing strategy. As the company gradually shifts production away from China, India has become a major assembly hub. According to information shared by Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, Apple has now shipped $50 billion (around Rs 4.51 lakh crore) worth of made-in-India iPhones cumulatively.
Apple, working with contract manufacturers such as Foxconn, was brought under the PLI scheme as part of the Make in India initiative. In the first 9 months of FY26 alone, the company exported around $16 billion (about Rs 1.44 lakh crore) worth of iPhones. This has taken total exports since FY22 to $50 billion.
With a few months still left in the current financial year, industry watchers expect Apple’s India shipments and exports to rise further, strengthening the country’s role in the company’s global supply chain.
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