Apple’s iPhone is rapidly gaining traction in India, shipping around 14 million units in 2025, based on market data shared exclusively with TechCrunch.
Still, the country’s overall smartphone market has remained largely stable, around 152 million to 153 million devices. This means that for the whole of 2025, Apple’s market share in shipments has reached a record high of 9%. That’s up from 7% in 2024, according to data from Counterpoint Research, making it the iPhone’s strongest year yet in the world’s second-largest smartphone market by volume.
These gains are driven by the iPhone product portfolio, growing demand and wider availability across all sales channels, said Tarun Pathak, director of devices and ecosystems at Counterpoint Research.
Apple has repeatedly highlighted India as a standout market in recent quarters, with CEO Tim Cook saying the company set “unprecedented revenue record in India” during its last earnings call in October. Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh also said that iPhone’s active install base reached an all-time high in India and that the company set a quarterly record for upgrades, highlighting Apple’s efforts to expand its user base beyond new buyers, although the company did not disclose detailed figures for India on the call.
Beyond shipping, Apple has expanded its presence in India by intensify local manufacturing and expanding its retail reach. Last month, the company opened its fifth Apple Store in the country – the first in Noida – as part of a wider retail expansion that started in 2023.
Apple is also refining its service offering in India. Earlier this month he introduced Apple Creator Studio – a set of subscriptions to creative applications such as Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro – priced at ₹399 per month ($4.35) in India. That’s about 66% cheaper than the $12.99 per month it charges in the U.S., underscoring how the company is adapting its pricing to deepen its presence in the country.
This good iPhone year came up against a market that has largely stopped growing. India is expected to record its fourth consecutive year at roughly the same level of shipments of 152 million units, Counterpoint estimates, with the October-December quarter down 8-10% year-on-year despite the festive season.
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Longer replacement cycles, fewer feature phone users switching to smartphones, and the growing popularity of refurbished devices are among the main reasons the market has struggled to grow, Pathak told TechCrunch.
Even as overall shipments stagnated, India’s premium segment continued to grow. Smartphones priced above ₹30,000 (around $327) grew 15% year-over-year in 2025 and accounted for a record 23% of total shipments – the highest share ever – according to Counterpoint.
The shift helped brands with stronger premium portfolios, including Apple, gain ground even as the mass market slowed.
By volume, China’s Vivo dominated the Indian smartphone market in 2025 with a 23% share of shipments, according to Counterpoint, followed by Samsung at 15% and Xiaomi at 13%.
Apple remained outside India’s top three in terms of shipments despite its record year, underscoring how the market is still dominated by mainstream Android brands even as premium devices take a growing share.
Counterpoint expects the Indian smartphone market to shrink by around 2% in 2026, warning that rising memory prices could reduce demand in the sub-₹15,000 (less than $170) segment and force phone makers to reduce cashback offers, reduce specifications or increase prices. Nonetheless, average selling prices are expected to increase by 5% in 2026 following a 9% increase in 2025, suggesting that the premiumization trend is likely to continue.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
