Apple is on track to achieve its highest-ever first-quarter iPhone sales in India, with preliminary IDC estimates suggesting more than 3 million units shipped in the first three months of 2025.
This marks a significant jump from 2.21 million iPhones in the same period of the previous year and underscores the tech giant’s growing momentum in its fastest-expanding market.
“Surpassing 3 million units in 1Q25, Apple will record its largest first-quarter shipments in India, facilitated by affordability schemes such as No Cost EMIs, cashback, and eTailer discounts that spurred high double-digit growth,” Upasna Joshi, research manager at IDC, told Moneycontrol.
Bucking the slowdown
The milestone comes even as the Indian smartphone market is expected to shrink by mid-single digits in the quarter despite widespread discounts and price cuts.
The newly launched iPhone 16 series, including the budget-friendly iPhone 16e, is driving the surge, accounting for more than half of total shipments.
“This marks a shift from 2024 when the iPhone 15 and 13 models were dominant, especially during festive periods,” Joshi said.
Though IDC is yet to release the complete data, figures from January and February indicate an 8.1 percent year-on-year decline as consumers turn cautious despite discounts.
India's top two smartphone brands, Vivo and Samsung, saw declines of 2.7 percent and 19.5 percent, respectively. Oppo and Realme posted a growth of 14.3 percent and 5.3 percent.
Apple, ranked fourth by market share, recording the fastest growth at 36.1 percent, according to IDC's Aditya Rampal.
India growth
India became Apple’s fourth-largest market globally in 2024 — after the US, China, and Japan— with shipments hitting a record 12 million units and 35 percent YoY growth.
In Q4 2024, Apple entered India’s top five smartphone brands for the first time with a 10 percent market share, led by strong iPhone 15 and 13 sales.
Since early 2023, the Cupertino-based company has consistently broken quarterly sales records in India.
Analysts expect the momentum to continue, positioning the company for even stronger revenue and profit growth this fiscal.
Apple’s iPhone sales in India are expected to reach an estimated 13-14 million units in 2025. A double-digit growth rate will further strengthen its leadership in the high-value smartphone segment and solidify its position among the top five brands by volume.
Joshi said that Apple will continue to outpace the overall smartphone market in 2025, with shipments reaching 13-14 million units.
Counterpoint Research expects Apple to maintain a 10-15 percent year-on-year growth rate in 2025.
Apple is pushing to cement its ranking by deepening its roots in the country. The company is aggressively expanding its local manufacturing and retail presence while accelerating hiring across key cities.
The company, which employs more than 3,000 people in India, has listed hundreds of job openings tied to manufacturing and retail expansion, including four upcoming stores in Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai.
Its supplier workforce, including Foxconn, Pegatron, and Jabil, is also scaling up rapidly to support the production of iPhones and AirPods.
The hiring spree comes as Apple looks to move beyond iPhones. Production of AirPods is likely to begin over the next few months at Foxconn’s new Telangana facility followed later by iPads and MacBooks.
Financially, Apple India reported a 23 percent rise in net profit at Rs 2,745.7 crore in FY24, while revenue grew 36 percent to Rs 67,121.6 crore, fuelled largely by booming iPhone sales.
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