The iPhone 15 and its many iterations comprised greater than half of Apple’s This fall smartphone shipments of practically 2.8 million models in India, Canalys said in its quarterly report. The handset has seen exceptional success in India as Apple pushed the most recent fashions throughout the festive gross sales, which happen throughout on-line and offline channels within the nation whereas its giant inhabitants celebrates Diwali within the final quarter of the 12 months and convey reductions and affords to draw prospects.
Whereas Diwali — the competition of sunshine — often is available in October, it occurred in November final 12 months, per the Hindu calendar, which gave Apple room to push the iPhone 15 throughout competition gross sales, Sanyam Chaurasia, senior analyst at Canalys, instructed TechCrunch.
Apple launched the iPhone 15 collection with just a few noticeable adjustments over its earlier generations, together with USB-C, the capsule-shaped Dynamic Island and matte again end throughout all fashions. These adjustments have attracted new and present iPhone patrons in India, the place Android dominates with over 95% market share.
Along with the design-level adjustments, simple financing, higher shopper surroundings and growing retail presence helped Apple to make the iPhone 15 collection extra interesting to Indian prospects than any of its earlier generations, Chaurasia mentioned.
Apple began promoting the iPhone 15 collection in India within the first batch of its availability in September. For the primary time, the preliminary iPhone lot that went on sale was locally assembled within the nation, because the Cupertino firm, just like different smartphone makers, considers the South Asian nation its world manufacturing hub and expanded its native manufacturing footprint.
Apple continues to be not a prime smartphone vendor on this planet’s second-biggest smartphone market and captured a negligible share — 7% particularly — within the fourth quarter, in keeping with Canalys.
Chaurasia instructed TechCrunch Apple’s shipments grew near 32% quarter-on-quarter within the fourth quarter.
Samsung and Xiaomi emerged as the 2 main smartphone distributors within the Indian market within the fourth quarter, with 21% and 17% share, respectively. However, Vivo secured its second place after Samsung in full-year shipments, with a 3% annual development by delivery 26.1 million smartphone models in 2023, serving to to seize a share of 18% — simply 1% lower than the South Korean firm, which noticed 1% drop in its annual development by delivery 28.4 million models.
Picture Credit: Canalys
The important thing cause Apple has not but been a number one smartphone maker in India from a shipments perspective is the excessive pricing of the iPhone fashions within the nation, which is residence to numerous price-sensitive patrons. Regardless of native assembling, the retail iPhone worth in India continues to be considerably increased than within the U.S. As an example, the iPhone 15, which begins at $799 within the U.S., retails at 79,900 Indian rupees ($961). Nonetheless, the common smartphone promoting worth within the Indian market is round $250 — not like $790 in the U.S.
Nonetheless, Apple is turning into a acquainted model within the Indian smartphone market and is quickly rising its native presence. The corporate noticed the highest-ever quarterly iPhone shipments within the nation within the third quarter, with over 2.5 million iPhone models shipped between July and September, per Counterpoint. The iPhone maker additionally opened two of its physical stores in India final 12 months to broaden its advertising and marketing efforts and enchantment to extra Indian customers.
Total, Indian smartphone shipments went again on monitor after seeing a decline for 5 quarters, with a 20% year-on-year development within the fourth quarter, with practically 39 million models shipped, Canalys famous. Nonetheless, the nation noticed a minimal 2% yearly drop, with 148.6 million smartphone models shipped in 2023.
“In 2023, growing investment in mainline retail space proved beneficial not only for vendors but also allowed the overall market to stabilize,” Chaurasia mentioned within the report. “Canalys expects the Indian smartphone market to grow by mid-single digits in 2024, driven by affordable 5G and the pandemic period replacement cycle. But the biggest challenge for vendors this year will be to manage the rising bill of materials costs.”
