Key Points

New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): The India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA) said smartphone exports in August 2025 increased by 39 per cent year-on-year, countering claims of a decline, and cautioned against drawing inferences from month-on-month comparisons without context.

ICEA reported that exports increased from USD 1.09 billion in August 2024 to approximately USD 1.53 billion in August 2025, with shipments to the United States more than doubling. Exports to the US increased by 148 per cent to USD 965 million in August 2025, compared to USD 388 million in August 2024.

"Every export sector has its particular nuances based on multiple factors. Oversimplification of trade data, and worse, inferences based on monthly comparisons, are misleading and avoidable. It's important that subject matter experts are consulted before drawing sector-specific conclusions," said ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo.

ICEA added that August and September are traditionally low-export months due to upcoming new launches, plant retrofitting, and increased domestic demand during festivals. However, overall smartphone exports in the first five months of FY26 touched a record Rs 1 lakh crore (USD 11.7 billion), a 55 per cent increase from USD 7.6 billion in the same period of FY25.

The association noted that smartphones have been India's best-performing export sector over the last five years under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, rising to become the country's largest export by HS code in FY25.

Earlier in August, it was reported that India had overtaken China in smartphone exports to the United States, marking a major milestone in the country's manufacturing journey according to research firm Canalys.

Schemes such as Make in India and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) have played a key role in reshaping the electronics sector.

A statement from the Press Information Bureau said, "As a result of schemes like Make in India and PLI, India is now moving at a new pace in those industrial sectors in which it was never even considered a key manufacturer before. According to a report by research firm Canalys, in the second quarter of this calendar year, i.e., April-June, India has also overtaken China in terms of smartphones exported to the US."

According to the report, the share of Made in India smartphones in US imports climbed to 44 per cent during April-June 2025, a sharp rise from 13 per cent in the same quarter of 2024. At the same time, China's share dropped from 61 per cent a year earlier to just 25 per cent in the same period.

- ANI