iPhone sales are soaring in India, and that should worry Samsung

Apple is still way behind Samsung and Xiaomi when it comes to market share.

What you need to know

• The latest numbers from Counterpoint Research suggest Apple had the highest revenue among all major smartphone brands in India in Q4 2021.
• Apple is estimated to have shipped 2.3 million iPhones in the fourth quarter, up 34% from a year earlier.
• Xiaomi shipped 9.3 million phones during the same period, while Samsung shipped 7.2 million Galaxy devices.

In what comes as bad news for Xiaomi and Samsung, Apple has finally started making headway in the Indian smartphone market.

As per data from market research firm Counterpoint Research, Apple's iPhone sales in India jumped 34% in the fourth quarter of 2021 to reach 2.3 million units (via Bloomberg). While Samsung sold 7.2 million phones during the same period, Xiaomi remained in the lead with total shipments of 9.3 million units. Apple's market share in the country, however, still remained unimpressive at a little over 5%.

Despite being significantly behind Xiaomi and Samsung in terms of shipments, Apple is said to have raked in more revenue. Since its devices are a lot more expensive than Samsung and Xiaomi's best budget Android phones, Apple is estimated to have made $2.09 billion from iPhone sales in India in Q4 2021. Samsung, on the other hand, reportedly pulled in about $2 billion.

Commenting on Apple's performance in the Indian smartphone market last quarter, Counterpoint partner and research head Neil Shah said:

It's a turning point for Apple in India. Indians were willing to lavish money on premium phones during the pandemic because everyone's lives revolved around their devices and there was nothing else to spend on."

According to Counterpoint Research, the average selling price of an iPhone in the country was $908 in the recent quarter. Samsung's average selling price was $278, while Xiaomi's was even lower at $172.

The growth in iPhone sales in the country can be attributed to the recent changes in Apple's strategy. Apple launched its online store in India in late 2020 and has also started manufacturing iPhones locally. More importantly, Apple slashed the prices of its iPhone 12 to just ₹50,000 (about $668) in the October to December period.