Apple makes its to top 5 brands in India’s smartphone market

 The iOS-based smartphones bumped Xiaomi off the top 10 list 
| Photo Credit:
FLORENCE LO

Apple made it to the top 5 smartphone brands in India- shipping a first-quarter record of three million units with an annual growth of 23 per cent – the highest among the rankings brands, as per the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.

The iOS-based smartphones bumped Xiaomi off the top 10 list as the Chinese brand’s market share fell 48 per cent on an annual basis from 12.8 per cent last year to 7.8 per cent this year.

Apple in India shipped 3.2 million smartphones in Q1FY25, with iPhone 16 accounting for 4 per cent of overall India shipments, the highest shipped model during the quarter. Iphone 16 was also among the highest shipped 5G model, aside from Xiaomi Redmi 14C, OPPO K12x/A3x and realme 14x.

Vivo, Samsung and Oppo held on to their titles as the top 3 smartphone brands of India. However, the overall market still declined 5.5 per cent year-over-year, the second consecutive quarterly decline in shipments. Weak consumer demand and surplus inventory from the previous quarter continue to pose challenges, said IDC.

“The first two months of the year saw fewer launches with brands focusing on offering retail support, discounts and price drops on older models to clear inventory. However, new launches picked up in March across price segments with enhanced marketing activities to drive demand,” said Aditya Rampal, Senior Market Analyst, Devices Research, IDC Asia Pacific.

Selling price reached a record

Among smartphones, the average selling price grew by 4 per cent annually, reaching a record of $274. The premium segment registered the highest growth of 78.6 per cent, with share up from 2 per cent to 4 per cent. iPhone 16 alone accounted for 32 per cent of the shipments in this segment. The mid-premium segment also saw strong growth of 74 per cent. Apple and Samsung’s share increased in this segment, led by iPhone 13 and Galaxy A56.

Qualcomm-based shipments grew by 40.8 per cent annually, at 31.8 per cent share, while MediaTek’s share declined to 43.6 per cent from 55.3 per cent. In Q1FY25, 29 million 5G smartphones were shipped in the quarter.

The share of online channels dropped to 41.9 per cent, the lowest since 3Q19, due to “ongoing omnichannel strategy” by almost all brands, spreading footprints into smaller towns/cities, offering attractive channel margins and support, which should remain in the upcoming quarters as well. Samsung led the online channel followed by Motorola and realme. Further, Vivo led the offline channel, followed by OPPO and Samsung.

IDC estimated low single-digit growth in 2025 for shipments, due to growing average selling price, resulting in mid-single digit value growth annually. IDC advised brands to focus on effective offline strategy to increase distribution while sustaining online momentum, multiple microfinancing options to drive affordability, offerings in the entry-premium segment for upgraders, and marketing generative AI features across price points.

“To mitigate potential cost increases arising from geopolitical uncertainties, vendors globally will be eyeing India as a preferred manufacturing destination. This will require efforts to scale up local manufacturing, especially by India-based contract manufacturers, ensuring India to evolve as a global manufacturing hub,” says Upasana Joshi, Senior Research Manager, Devices Research, IDC Asia Pacific.

Published on May 12, 2025

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