Samsung has overtaken Apple to claim the top spot in India’s super-premium smartphone segment (priced at $800 and above, around ₹70,000) in the first half of 2025 (1H25), according to International Data Corporation (IDC). Samsung secured a 49% share, edging out Apple’s 48%, driven by models like the Galaxy S25, S24 Ultra, and S25, while Apple’s iPhone 16 and 16 Plus remained strong contenders.
India Smartphone Market Sees Modest Growth, Mixed Segment Performance in 1H25
India’s overall smartphone market shipped 70 million units in 1H25, reflecting a modest 0.9% year-over-year growth, with Q2 posting a 7.3% increase to 37 million shipments. IDC attributed the growth to new model launches across all price segments, price cuts on older models, better offline channel margins, and aggressive ATL marketing campaigns.
In segment performance, the entry-level category grew 22.9% YoY, boosting its share from 14% to 16%, led by Xiaomi’s Redmi A4 and A5. The mass budget segment saw only a 1.1% YoY increase but its share fell from 44% to 42%, dominated by Vivo, Oppo, and Realme, which together accounted for 60% of shipments. The entry-level premium category declined 2.5%, with market share dropping from 30% to 27%, led by Vivo, Samsung, and Oppo, while Motorola surged to fourth place with multi-fold growth.
Premium Segments Surge as Vivo Leads and Samsung Grows in India’s Smartphone Market
The mid-range premium segment rose 39.5%, increasing its share from 4% to 5%, with Oppo and OnePlus benefiting the most. The premium segment (just below super-premium) posted the fastest growth at 96.4%, doubling its share from 2% to 4%, fuelled by the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15, which together accounted for over 60% of shipments in this bracket. Notably, the iPhone 16 was India’s highest-shipped model in 1H25, contributing 4% to total shipments.
Brand rankings showed Vivo retaining the top spot for the sixth consecutive quarter, thanks to its diverse portfolio. Samsung placed second with 21% growth, aided by AI-enabled mid-range models. Oppo ranked third, followed by Realme, Xiaomi, and Motorola. Apple came seventh with 5.9 million units shipped, a 21.5% YoY rise. iQoo, Poco, and OnePlus rounded out the top 10, while Nothing saw the highest YoY growth at 84.9%, followed by iQoo at 68.4%.
Summary:
Samsung overtook Apple in India’s super-premium smartphone market in 1H25 with a 49% share. Overall shipments grew 0.9% YoY to 70 million units. Vivo led the market, while premium segments saw strong growth, especially iPhone-led. Nothing and iQoo recorded the fastest growth, with diverse performances across price categories.
