There has been a significant decline in the demand for Android smartphones in India. In contrast, Apple’s iPhone has experienced record growth in January 2025, with a rapid increase in the number of iPhone buyers in the country.
The demand for Android smartphones in India has seen a sharp decline recently, while Apple continues to enjoy record growth year after year. Indian consumers are increasingly losing interest in Android devices, leading to an overall drop in smartphone sales of around 10 percent. Despite the introduction of several mid-range and flagship models, including the Samsung Galaxy S25 series in January, user demand for smartphones remains very low. In contrast, there has been a noticeable shift towards iPhones, allowing Apple to achieve remarkable growth during this period.
Apple’s dominance
As reported by the research firm IDC in January 2025, India witnessed shipments of 11.1 million smartphones, marking a 9.7 percent decrease compared to January 2024. The downward trend in smartphone demand began in the last quarter of 2024. However, despite this slump, the overall smartphone shipments in India saw a modest growth of 4 percent last year.
The IDC report highlights Apple’s impressive growth of 11.7 percent in January. Consumers are favoring iPhones over Android smartphones, and although Apple’s market share remains smaller than that of Android manufacturers, India is quickly becoming one of Apple’s most preferred markets, second only to China. Indeed, Apple has secured a spot among India’s top five smartphone brands in the last quarter of the year.
Benefits of Make in India
Following Prime Minister Modi’s Make in India initiative, smartphone companies have shifted their focus to local manufacturing. All models of Apple’s latest iPhone 16 series will be produced in India for both domestic use and export. In stark contrast, all Android brands, except Oppo, have reported negative growth. Oppo, however, experienced a 5.3 percent increase in sales during January 2025.
Recently, Apple launched the iPhone 16e in the Indian market, replacing the iPhone SE 4. Priced starting at Rs 59,900, this model is aimed at being the company’s most affordable offering. The company is also providing attractive bank promotions for this new device, which is expected to drive up its demand significantly.
