The iPhone 15 and its numerous iterations accounted for more than half of Apple’s fourth-quarter smartphone shipments of nearly 2.8 million units in India, according to Canalys. He said In its quarterly report, the phone witnessed notable success in India, as Apple launched the latest models during holiday sales, which take place across online and offline channels in the country while a large number of its population celebrates Diwali in the last quarter of the year and offers discounts and offers to attract customers. .
While Diwali — the festival of light — typically falls in October, it fell in November last year, according to the Hindu calendar, giving Apple room to push the iPhone 15 during festival sales, Sanyam Chaurasia, senior analyst at Canalys, told TechCrunch.
Apple introduced the iPhone 15 series with some notable changes compared to its previous generations, including USB-C, a dynamic capsule-shaped island, and a matte back color on all models. These changes have attracted new and existing iPhone buyers in India, where Android operates Dominates a market share of more than 95%.
In addition to the design-level changes, ease of financing, better consumer environment and increased retail presence have helped Apple make the iPhone 15 series more attractive to Indian customers than any of its previous generations, Chaurasia said.
Apple started selling the iPhone 15 series in India in the first batch of availability in September. For the first time, the initial iPhone lineup that went on sale has been assembled locally in the country, as the Cupertino company, like other smartphone makers, considers the South Asian nation a global manufacturing hub and has expanded its local production.
Apple is still not a top smartphone seller in the world’s second-largest smartphone market, and it captured a tiny share — 7%, notably — in the fourth quarter, according to Canalys.
Chaurasia told TechCrunch that Apple’s shipments grew nearly 32% quarter-over-quarter in the fourth quarter.
Samsung and Xiaomi emerged as two leading smartphone manufacturers in the Indian market in the fourth quarter, with a share of 21% and 17%, respectively. However, Vivo took second place after Samsung in full-year shipments, with 3% year-on-year growth by shipping 26.1 million smartphone units in 2023, which helped capture an 18% share – just 1% less than the company. South Korea, which saw a 1% decline in its annual growth by shipping 28.4 million units.
The main reason why Apple is not yet a leading smartphone manufacturer in India from a shipments perspective is the high prices of iPhone models in the country, which is home to a large number of price-sensitive buyers. Despite local assembly, the iPhone’s retail price in India is still much higher than in the US. For example, the iPhone 15, which starts at $799 in the US, retails for INR 79,900 ($961). However, the average selling price of smartphones in the Indian market is around $250 – in contrast $790 in the US
However, Apple has become a familiar brand in the Indian smartphone market and is rapidly growing its local presence. The company saw its highest-ever quarterly iPhone shipments in the country in the third quarter, with more than 2.5 million iPhone units shipped between July and September, according to Counterpoint. The iPhone maker also opened two of its physical stores in India last year to expand its marketing efforts and attract more Indian consumers.
Overall, Indian smartphone shipments are back on track after witnessing a five-quarter decline, with 20% year-on-year growth in the fourth quarter, with nearly 39 million units shipped, Canalys noted. However, the country saw a year-on-year decline of at least 2%, with 148.6 million smartphone units shipped in 2023.
“In 2023, increased investment in prime retail spaces proved to be beneficial not only for sellers, but also allowed the overall market to stabilize,” Chaurasia said in the report. “Canalys expects the Indian smartphone market to grow at mid-digits in 2024, driven by affordable 5G technology and the pandemic-era replacement cycle. But the biggest challenge for vendors this year will be managing rising bill of materials costs.