Apple’s iPhone is gaining ground fast in India, shipping about 14 million units in 2025, based on market data shared exclusively with TechCrunch.<\/p>\n\n
Yet the country’s overall smartphone market stayed largely flat at around 152 million to 153 million devices. That means that across the full-year of 2025, Apple’s market share of shipments rose to a record 9%. This is up from 7% in 2024, Counterpoint Research data shows, making it the iPhone’s strongest year yet in the world’s second-largest smartphone market by volume.<\/p>\n\n
The gains were driven by the iPhone’s product portfolio, growing aspirational demand, and wider availability across sales channels, Counterpoint Research’s director for devices and ecosystems, Tarun Pathak, said.<\/p>\n\n
Apple has repeatedly pointed to India as a standout market in recent quarters, with CEO Tim Cook saying the company set an “all-time revenue record in India”<\/a> on its last earnings call in October. CFO Kevan Parekh also said iPhone’s active install base hit an all-time high in India and the company set a quarterly record for upgraders, highlighting Apple’s push to expand its user base beyond just new buyers, though the company did not disclose detailed figures for India on the call.<\/p>\n\n Beyond shipments, Apple has been widening its footprint in India by ramping up local manufacturing<\/a> and broadening its retail reach. Last month, the company opened its fifth Apple Store<\/a> in the country \u2014 its first in Noida \u2014 as part of a broader retail expansion that began in 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n Apple is also sharpening its services pitch in India. Earlier this month, it introduced Apple Creator Studio<\/a> \u2014 a subscription bundle of creative apps such as Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro \u2014 priced at \u20b9399 a month<\/a> ($4.35) in India. That’s around 66% cheaper than the $12.99 a month it charges in the U.S., underscoring how the company is tailoring pricing to deepen its reach in the country.<\/p>\n\n That strong iPhone year came against a market that has largely stopped growing. India is set to log its fourth straight year at about the same shipment level of 152 million units, Counterpoint estimates, with the October\u2013December quarter down 8% to 10% year-over-year despite the festive season.<\/p>\n