Apple’s Big Win in India: First-Quarter iPhone Sales Smash Past 3 Million

The premium smartphone market in India is witnessing one of the biggest growths in recent years with rising digital adoption and a growing appetite for high-end flagship devices. More and more consumers are now gravitating toward flagship devices like the iPhone 16 series, Samsung Galaxy S25, and more. This change in consumer behavior has opened vast opportunities for global tech giants, especially for those who are a well known brands in the premium product ecosystem. In this regard, Apple has recently seen a massive surge in demand and hence broke its own record in the process.

How Apple Recorded 3 Million iPhone Sales in India:

Apple has just recorded its best-ever first quarter performance in India with selling over 3 million iPhones in the country. The record is calculated for the January-March 2025 period. This is not just a number, but it also showcases how India is becoming a major growth engine for tech giant like Apple.

In a recent turn of events, US President Donald Trump has imposed a 10% tariff on all imports from some of the specific countries like China to accumulate rate of 145%. This has made Apple to rethink about its plants in China and hence the company made a decision of assembling its devices worth approximately $22 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2025 in India.

As per the Bloomberg report, nearly 20% of all iPhones made globally are now being produced in India which is also supported by partners like Foxconn and Wistron. From so long Apple has been looking for ways to dominate the Indian market where budget and mid-range smartphones are dominating. But in the recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in the consumer preferences, especially in urban India. Nowadays, more Indians are choosing and purchasing flagship smartphones for better quality, longer life, and stronger resale value, and Apple is clearly reaping the benefits.

Upasna Joshi, research manager at IDC says, “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.”

Apple recently launched iPhone 16 series and its already making a big impact in the market. Among the models is the latest launched iPhone 16e, which is yet again much affordable option as compared to Pro models. This budget-friendly option of iPhone 16e is appealing to a larger number of buyers, especially in markets like India where people are price-sensitive.

The iPhone 16 series including the Pro and Plus variants is performing so well that it is making up more than half of all the iphones shipped in the recent quarter which again showcases how Apple sales are soaring right now.