Apple's iPhone 16 is the bestseller in a sea of budget smartphones in India

The iPhone 16 series, launched about 15 months ago, sold 6.5 million units in the first 11 months of 2025, according to data from Gurugram-based Counterpoint Research. Y29 5G from BBK Electronics-backed Vivo ranked second with 4.7 million shipped during the period.

Even the iPhone 15 ranked among the five top-selling devices. That’s when Apple’s phones, starting at ₹47,000 for iPhone 15, sell at more than three times the price of Vivo’s best-selling handset, which retails at ₹14,000.

“There is a definite premiumization drive in India, and the iPhone is the poster boy for this dynamic shift in India’s smartphone market,” said Tarun Pathak, research director for consumer devices at Counterpoint. “While volume growth has been limited, buyers are coming in for more premium devices driven by the widespread availability of financing schemes.”

Growing iPhone shipments mirror Apple’s bet on India. While the Cupertino-based tech behemoth has partnered with multiple contract manufacturers to double its production in the country to diversify away from China, it’s also targeting younger, aspirational buyers here. Serpentine queues outside outlets on launch days are a common sight. The company also opened three new stores in September and November–in Bengaluru, Pune and Noida–taking the total count to five.

Yet, Apple’s rising fortunes defy the Indian smartphone market, which is expected to remain stagnant or register low single-digit growth in 2025 for the fourth straight year, after hitting a high during the pandemic. And a global memory chip shortage may drive up prices, further hurting demand, Mint reported earlier.

Shipments in India are expected to reach 158 million units in 2025, up from an estimated 151-153 million devices last year, according to Counterpoint and fellow market researcher International Data Corp. (IDC).

Apple’s growth has come at the expense of its biggest competitor in India: Samsung. None of the devices from the South Korean giant made it to the top 10 smartphones sold in the country this year.

The top two iPhones accounted for 8% of the 125-130 million devices sold in India until November, Counterpoint and IDC estimates show. Overall, the market is still dominated by budget phones.

“Apple largely sells four models in India, as opposed to portfolios of 30-plus models by other brands. This naturally gives its devices higher room for sales, and it’s not surprising for the iPhone 16 to be among the bestsellers in India,” said Navkendar Singh, associate vice-president, devices research at IDC Asia-Pacific.

“Overall, there’s no real reason for Apple’s growth to stall, and the company remains poised for double-digit year-on-year growth in India next year as well,” he said. “The iPhone 17 too is in short supply, and the company had not anticipated as much demand as it has seen in India this year.”

The average selling price of a smartphone rose to $294 ( ₹26,400) this year, up from $257 ( ₹21,800) last year, according to data from IDC.

“With effective prices of iPhones even falling below ₹50,000 during sales, including bank discounts, buyers from lower price segments are fulfilling an aspirational goal of owning an Apple product,” Pathak of Counterpoint said. “This also continues to drive Apple’s volume-wise growth in India, and will continue to do so for at least another couple of years.”

During the festive season, the tech giant also broke into India’s top four, capturing 10.4% of the market—a significant feat given Apple’s premium pricing.

“India’s premium smartphone demand continues to outpace volume growth at the lower end of the market, with much of this momentum driven by flagship portfolios from Apple and Samsung,” said Prabhu Ram, vice-president of industry research at CyberMedia Research.

“Apple remains in the very early innings of its India journey and retains significant headroom for both value and volume growth as premiumisation deepens and upgrade cycles lengthen,” said Ram. “Supported by expanding local manufacturing, a progressively deeper domestic value chain, and a rapidly widening mix of own-brand and partner retail outlets, Apple is well positioned to sustain a healthy pace of growth in India over the next fourteen quarters, even as the broader market normalizes.”