Apple iPhone just had its best year in India as the smartphone market remained broadly flat

Apple’s iPhone is making rapid progress in India, with about 14 million units shipped in 2025, based on market data shared exclusively with TechCrunch.

However, the country’s overall smartphone market has remained largely flat at around 152-153 million devices. This means that over the entire year of 2025, Apple’s market share of shipments rose to a record high of 9%. This is up from 7% in 2024, making it the strongest year for iPhones yet in the world’s second-largest smartphone market by volume, Counterpoint Research data shows.

Tarun Pathak, director of devices and ecosystems at Counterpoint Research, said the gains were driven by the iPhone product portfolio, growing aspirational demand and wider availability across sales channels.

Apple has repeatedly cited India as a standout market in recent quarters, with CEO Tim Cook saying the company set an “all-time revenue record in India” in its last earnings call in October. CFO Kevan Parekh also said the iPhone’s active install base reached an all-time high in India and the company hit a quarterly record for upgrades, highlighting Apple’s push to expand its user base beyond just new buyers, though the company did not reveal detailed numbers for India on the call.

Beyond shipments, Apple is expanding its presence in India by ramping up local manufacturing and expanding its retail footprint. Last month, the company opened its fifth Apple store in the country – its first in Noida – as part of a broader retail expansion starting in 2023.

Apple is also improving its services in India. Earlier this month, Apple introduced Creator Studio — a subscription bundle of creative apps like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro — priced at INR 399 per month (US$4.35) in India. This is approximately 66% lower than the price it charges in the US of $12.99 per month, underscoring how the company is tailoring pricing to deepen its reach in the country.

This strong iPhone year came in the face of a market that had largely stopped growing. India is set to record its fourth straight year of the same shipment level of 152 million units, according to Counterpoint estimates, with the October-December quarter down 8-10% year-on-year despite the festive season.

Longer replacement cycles, fewer feature phone users upgrading 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 expand. Smartphones priced above INR 30,000 (about $327) rose 15% year-on-year in 2025 and accounted for a record 23% of total shipments — the highest share ever — according to Counterpoint.

This shift has helped brands with strong premium portfolios, including Apple, make gains even as the overall market slows.

In terms of volume, China’s Vivo led the smartphone market in India in 2025 with a 23% share of shipments, per Counterpoint, followed by Samsung with 15% and Xiaomi with 13%.

Apple remained outside the top three in India in terms of shipments despite its record year, underscoring how Android-powered brands still dominate the market even as premium devices take an increasing share.

Counterpoint expects India’s smartphone market to decline by about 2% in 2026, warning that rising memory prices could pressure demand in the sub-INR 15,000 (less than $170) segment and force phone makers to cut cashback offers, lower specifications or raise prices. However, average selling prices are expected to rise by 5% in 2026 after a 9% increase in 2025, indicating that the premiumization trend is set to continue.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.