iPhone 16 wears export crown as Samsung's Galaxy A Series muscles in

Apple takes 18% share; Samsung's mid-range workhorse pulls 25.5%

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Apple Inc’s latest super-premium model, the iPhone 16, was the most exported smartphone from India, accounting for 18 per cent of total export volumes in the first half (H1) of calendar year (CY) 2025, according to Counterpoint Research.

 

The data indicates that the Cupertino-headquartered company is now shipping a large share of its latest devices from India to global markets, even as it prepares for the September launch of the much-anticipated iPhone 17. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 16e were the second- and third-most exported models.

 

In contrast, Samsung’s Galaxy A Series, comprising four mid-range models, captured a 25.5 per cent share of total smartphone export volumes from India.

 

Apple accounted for 60 per cent of India’s smartphone export volumes in H1 CY2025, while Samsung stood at 34 per cent. The two players dominated the market, with Motorola (owned by Lenovo) emerging as the only other brand to cross exports of 1 million units during the period. Motorola ended with a 2.5 per cent share, becoming the third-largest exporter from India for the first time, ahead of Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Vivo.

 

The US remained the largest market for Indian smartphone exports, taking 54 per cent of shipments despite tariff concerns. The United Arab Emirates followed with 11 per cent, and Austria ranked third with 7 per cent.

 

Export destinations varied sharply for the top two players. Over 60 per cent of Samsung’s shipments went to Western Europe, including Austria, Germany, France, and Spain, while exports to the US jumped 268 per cent year-on-year from a smaller base. Apple, on the other hand, directed more than 75 per cent of its exports from India to the US in H1 CY2025. This marked a sharp shift: overall Indian smartphone exports to the US surged from 24 per cent in H1 last year to 54 per cent, while shipments to Europe fell from 47 per cent to 27 per cent.

 

Motorola was the fastest-growing exporter, with volumes rising sevenfold. Of these, 95 per cent were shipped to the US, where its sales grew 10 per cent in H1 CY2025, driven by the early launch of the G Series in 2024 and aided by the absence of new products from HMD Global and other smaller brands.