Apple clocks highest 23 pc growth in India in March quarter

IANS May 12, 2025 313 views

Apple has demonstrated remarkable growth in the Indian smartphone market, shipping a record three million units in the first quarter of 2025. The iPhone 16 emerged as the top model, particularly dominating the premium smartphone segment with a 32% share. The overall smartphone market saw significant 5G adoption, with 88% of shipments being 5G-enabled devices. Despite challenges, IDC predicts a low single-digit growth in smartphone shipments for 2025, with rising average selling prices.

"New launches picked up in March across price segments" - Aditya Rampal, IDC Asia Pacific
Apple clocks highest 23 pc growth in India in March quarter
New Delhi, May 12: Apple registered the highest growth of 23 per cent among the top five brands in India in the January-March quarter, shipping a first-quarter record of three million units, an IDC report said on Monday.

Key Points

1

Apple achieves highest 23% growth among top smartphone brands

2

iPhone 16 dominates premium smartphone segment

3

5G smartphones reach 88% market share in Q1

In the March quarter, iPhone 16 was the highest shipped model, accounting for 4 per cent of overall India shipments during Q1 2025.

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.

ASPs (average selling price) reached a record of $274 in Q1 2025, growing by 4 per cent (on-year).

The premium segment ($600- $800) 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% of the shipments in this segment.

The mid-premium segment ($400-$600) also saw strong growth of 74 per cent, with share reaching 6 per cent from 3 per cent.

Apple and Samsung’s share increased in this segment, led by iPhone 13 and Galaxy A56, according to the report.

Around 29 million 5G smartphones were shipped in the quarter. The share of 5G smartphone shipments increased to 88 per cent, up from 69 per cent in Q1 2024, with ASPs declining by 11 per cent YoY to $300.

Within 5G, the share of the low-end (sub-US$100) segment reached 7 per cent led by affordable new launches, while 45 per cent of the shipments were still within the mass budget segment of ($100-$200).

Qualcomm-based shipments grew by 40.8 per cent on-year, at 31.8 per cent share, led by affordable offerings like Xiaomi’s Redmi 14C, while MediaTek’s share declined to 43.6 per cent from 55.3 per cent on a shipment decline of 25.5 per cent YoY in Q1 2025, the report mentioned.

IDC estimates a low single-digit growth in 2025 in terms of shipments, as ASPs continue to rise, leading to a mid-single digit value growth annually.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Apple's growth shows how Indian consumers are upgrading to premium phones. But ₹70,000+ for iPhone 16 is still too expensive for most Indians. Our middle class is growing but price sensitivity remains high. Hope they introduce more affordable models.
P
Priya M.
Just bought iPhone 16 last month! 🎉 The camera quality is amazing for my travel vlogs. But honestly, most features are same as iPhone 15. Apple should innovate more rather than just increasing prices every year.
A
Arjun S.
Interesting to see Qualcomm gaining market share. Indian brands should focus more on chipset innovation rather than just assembling foreign components. Atmanirbhar Bharat needs more R&D in tech hardware!
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Neha T.
The EMI culture is making these expensive phones accessible, but I worry many young people are getting into unnecessary debt for status symbols. My ₹20,000 phone does everything I need! 🤷‍♀️
V
Vikram J.
Good to see Made in India iPhones doing well globally too. But Apple should pass more benefits to Indian consumers - prices here are still higher than US even after local manufacturing. More value for money please!
S
Sanjay P.
The 5G adoption numbers are impressive! But telecom companies need to improve network quality first. What's the use of 5G phone if coverage is patchy and speeds are same as 4G? Infrastructure needs to catch up with phone technology.

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