India Smartphone Market Q3 2025: Apple Enters Top 5

India's smartphone market grew 5% year-over-year in shipments and 18% in value during Q3 2025, reaching its highest-ever quarterly value, according to Counterpoint Research. Apple made history by entering the…

By Hardik Dhamija

November 5, 2025

3 min read

Comments

India’s smartphone market grew 5% year-over-year in shipments and 18% in value during Q3 2025, reaching its highest-ever quarterly value, according to Counterpoint Research. Apple made history by entering the top five brands by volume.

Q3 2025 Market Overview

Metric	Q3 2025	YoY Growth
Shipment Growth	38 million units	+5%
Value Growth	Record high	+18%
Premium Segment	>₹30,000 phones	+29%
Average Selling Price	—	+13%
Apple Volume Share	9%	Top 5 entry

Apple’s Historic Top 5 Entry

Apple entered the top five by volume in Q3 2025, with India emerging as the third-largest iPhone market globally. Strong demand for iPhone 16 and 15 series, combined with festive deals and attractive trade-in offers, drove this milestone achievement.

Apple led the market with a 28% revenue share, demonstrating the brand’s premium positioning despite capturing just 9% of unit volumes. This disparity highlights how Apple dominates value while competitors focus on volume.

Premium Segment Drives Growth

The premium segment was the fastest-growing category, with 29% YoY shipment growth as more consumers moved toward higher-value devices. This premiumization trend lifted overall market value by 18% YoY, with average selling prices rising 13%.

For gaming and tech enthusiasts, this shift toward premium devices means better performance hardware becoming mainstream.

Brand Performance Highlights

Vivo maintained leadership with 20% volume share, driven by its strong offline network and successful T-series midrange lineup. Samsung secured second place with 13% share, though it declined from 16% year-earlier.

iQOO emerged as the fastest-growing brand of the quarter in terms of volume with 54% YoY growth, while Motorola recorded 53% YoY shipment growth in Q3 2025, powered by G and Edge series demand.

Lava became the fastest-growing brand in the sub-INR 10,000 price segment with 135% YoY shipment growth, capturing budget-conscious buyers.

Chipset Market Dynamics

MediaTek dominated with 46% market share, followed by Qualcomm at 29%. This duopoly reflects ongoing competition to capture India’s rapidly expanding 5G smartphone market.

Easy financing options, EMI schemes, and softer interest rates fueled upgrade-driven demand during the festive quarter. OPPO’s revenue share declined from 11% in Q3 2024 to 9% in Q3 2025, but it is gaining traction with a volume-driven strategy, showing a 13% volume share.

Learn more at Counterpoint Research.