Research Suggests Apple Doubled Its Market Share in India Last Year

Apple's market share in India increased from 2% to 4% in the quarter that ended in December, based on data collated by research firms Counterpoint and Cybermedia.

iPhone 12 Made in India
As reported by TechCrunch, Apple shipped more than 1.5 million iPhone units in India in the quarter, up 100% year-on-year, making this its best quarter in the country to date.

According to the data, Apple managed to double its market share thanks to improved sales of the ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ 12, and the 2020 ‌iPhone‌ SE. Overall, Apple shipped more than 3.2 million ‌iPhone‌ units in India in 2020, up 60% year-on-year.

The results follow several recent moves by Apple in the country, including the launch of a regional online store in September 2020 and a Diwali promotion in October that offered free AirPods with every ‌iPhone‌ 11 purchase.

Apple has historically struggled to be competitive in what is the world's second largest smartphone market, in part due to the premium price tags of its ‌iPhone‌ models versus the low cost of rival handsets from the likes of Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo that have swamped the market.

However, Apple has taken advantage of the Indian government's Made in India initiative to increase its regional manufacturing base, which has allowed it to save import duty costs and pass on the savings to customers by reducing prices on older generation ‌iPhone‌ models.

Local production of newer ‌iPhone‌ models is next on Apple's agenda, and Apple supplier Wistron recently began trial production of the ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ at a new facility near Bengaluru, with full production set to begin in mid-2021. The ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ would be the seventh ‌iPhone‌ model to be manufactured in India, but the first high-end device to do so.

Apple is also planning to open retail stores in India in the near future, all of which suggests its strategy in the country is headed in the right direction. Apple is due to report its earnings on Wednesday, so expect India to be a highlight.

Tag: India

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26 Maps Glass

Apple Reportedly Moving Ahead With Ads in Maps App

Sunday October 26, 2025 6:22 am PDT by
Apple Maps could feature integrated ads as soon as next year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple's plan to bring more ads to iOS is moving "gaining traction," with the Maps app being next in line. The project will apparently give restaurants and other businesses the option to pay to have their details featured more prominently in...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iOS 26.1 Beta Liquid Glass Battery Drain Test: Tinted vs Clear Mode

Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing. Test Settings I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:15 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. iOS 26.1 is currently in beta testing. The update will likely be released in the first half of November, and it is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but some...
swift for android

Developers Can Now Make Android Apps With Apple's Swift

Sunday October 26, 2025 4:23 am PDT by
The first preview release of the Swift SDK for Android was published this week, allowing developers to build Android apps in Swift with official tooling and making it easier to share code across iOS and Android. The SDK enables Android apps to be built in Swift using officially supported tooling rather than community workarounds. In June, it was announced that Apple's Swift programming...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Says U.S. Passport Feature on iPhone is Coming Soon

Monday October 27, 2025 7:41 am PDT by
You will "soon" be able to add a digital version of your U.S. passport to your iPhone, according to Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Bailey reiterated that the feature is coming soon during her keynote at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas on Sunday. On its iOS 26 page, Apple says the delayed feature will be "coming later this year." Apple's...

Top Rated Comments

himanshumodi Avatar
62 months ago

The issue with Apple in India was never about knowing how good the iPhone is. It was always about price and will continue to be. The average salary in India is around 300$ while in the US it is 4000$. Imagine if the iPhone 12 cost in the US was 10,000$ how many iPhone would Apple have sold? Apple cant really penetrate in the Indian market, but could only wait until India increases its middle class population and GDP per capita to a sufficiently high level so that the iPhone could become accessible item for a bigger part of the population.
On the other hand.... the sheer volume of people means that even a small %age of middle class translates to a small country size itself. Besides - Apple had great price points with 11. And now the SE and mini will also do well at their price points.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M5RahuL Avatar
62 months ago
It's hilarious how every time an article on India and iPhone is posted, some arm chair expert chimes in with India's income, corruption, comparing it with communist China et al...

As if, generally speaking, folks in the US just stroll in to an Apple store and drop $1000+ cash on a mobile device lol. If it wasn't for carrier subsidies, tradein deals, financing options.. I'd be willing to bet a lot of those people wouldn't have the latest and greatest idevice!

As for India's corruption, lack of education, poverty... people forget ( more likely have no clue ) that India was finally independent after 1947 ( from Moghuls to British rule ) that left the country not only divided, ( India-Pak ) with major military conflicts, but was also robbed and plundered, thus setting the nation back economically by far!

That said, She's reborn and well on her way back..

- 2nd Gen Indian American :)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
62 months ago
With roadblocks removed, it’s all up from here.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yellow8 Avatar
62 months ago
I also doubled the number of apps downloaded in India.
2x10 = 20.
My numbers are as impressive as Apple. *proud*
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applefanboy1990 Avatar
62 months ago
Apple retail stores in India will be an exciting move! :D

I heard the original plan was to open in 2020 but was pushed back to 2021... Does anyone have any idea on an expected opening date or the store?

The rumour is they will open in Mumbai in Maker Maxity Mall Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) - but it's tough to find any official info ;)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DelayedGratificationGene Avatar
62 months ago

So? This has nothing to do with immigrants or their ambitions, but with the structure of society in China and India.

China changed course and scrapped communism in 1978 with Deng Xiaoping, inviting foreign capital, opening up, privatizing and making market mechanisms the major force for transforming society. They have grown with 9% a year since then.

At the same time, China has always valued education, and the state has taken on to make sure no one is left behind. Human capital is at the core in China, not so in India, where you see a cast society and enormous levels of poverty and slum.
So? Just as China removed the communist shackles 40 years ago India will remove their shackles. Seems to be happening and I’m pretty sure Apple would not employ such resources in a country with no hope.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)