Apple iPhone 16 takes bite out of iPhone 15's sales, dials 8% growth

Sales of the Apple iPhone 16 in the first month since its launch have shown a year-on-year (Y-o-Y) growth of 8 per cent over the iPhone 15, according to preliminary estimates by Counterpoint Research. The new series went on sale on September 20 across the country, with pre-bookings starting on September 13.

 

This increase has been led by the top-end iPhone 16 Pro series (Pro and Pro Max), which was initially imported but is now being assembled in India by Foxconn.

 

Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint, said: “Our preliminary numbers suggest an 8 per cent Y-o-Y growth of the 16 series over the 15 series during the first month of sales, driven by the iPhone Pro series.”

 

While the Indian market has seen decent growth in iPhone 16 sales during the first month, in the US, according to the research company, sales are trailing by 1 per cent in the first four weeks compared to the previous iPhone 15 model. In China, however, sales have shown robust growth of 20 per cent for the new model in the first three weeks, led by the top-end models, similar to the trend in India.

 

India’s festival season, which ends with Diwali (lasting around 35 days), is expected to see over 35 million phones sold this year, representing a 3 per cent Y-o-Y growth in terms of volume and a 9 per cent Y-o-Y growth in terms of value.

 

The iPhone 16 Pro retails starting from Rs 1.19 lakh, going up to Rs 1.69 lakh for the 1 terabyte storage model. The iPhone Pro Max starts at Rs 1.44 lakh and goes up to Rs 1.84 lakh. Clearly, Indian consumers, as reflected in the numbers, are moving towards premium offerings from companies.

 

According to Counterpoint, about 45 per cent of iPhone sales are online, while their physical stores account for a single-digit share of total sales. The remainder comes from a large network of dealers across the country.

 

The ultra-premium segment (over Rs 45,000) during the first wave of the festival season (from September 26 to October 7) saw a 12 per cent growth, thanks to Apple and Samsung.

 

However, the impact of the Apple iPhone 16 was still minimal, as the product was available for only a few days during this period. During this time, Apple’s iPhone 15 and 13 were the top-performing premium smartphones on Amazon and Flipkart.

 

Apple Inc has seen major growth in the domestic market; in calendar year 2023, it crossed the 10 million mark for the first time, propelling itself to the top position in terms of revenue in the country. It also ended 2023-24 with over Rs 67,000 crore in revenue, dominated by iPhones, marking a growth of 35 per cent over the previous financial year.

 

Growth ringtone 

 

·         Sales of iPhone 16 are higher than those of iPhone 15 in the first month of last year

 

·         Sales growth is led by top-end models — the iPhone Pro series

 

·         The top-end model, initially imported, is now being assembled in India, ensuring quicker distribution

 

·         iPhone sales have helped Apple Inc achieve the highest revenue share in calendar year 2023