Apple's iPhone Pro share in India trails emerging, developed markets

India trails key emerging markets in Apple's Pro iPhone sales, with premium models accounting for just 18% of shipments in 2025, signalling room for further premiumisation

India accounts for the lowest share of Apple’s top-end iPhone Pro sales among key emerging markets — and has a lot of catching up to do. This lag reflects the country’s lower purchasing power and a slower pace of mobile phone premiumisation.

 

The iPhone Pro and the iPhone Pro Max are priced between ₹134,900 and ₹229,900, making them among the most expensive phones in the country.  

 

Despite Apple CEO Tim Cook describing India as a high-growth market, the bulk of sales still comes from entry models like the iPhone 17 and older generations. As a result, the iPhone Pro and Pro Max accounted for just 18 per cent of total shipments in 2025, according to recent research from Omdia, a global technology research and advisory group.

 

By comparison, the shipment share of these models in Southeast Asian countries was 46 per cent in Thailand and 37 per cent in Malaysia. A similar trend is visible in Latin America, where Pro and Pro Max models accounted for 35 per cent of shipments in Brazil and 26 per cent in Mexico.

 

Globally, the Pro series commands a 25 to 35 per cent share of iPhone sales in emerging markets — far higher than in India, according to Counterpoint Research. Developed markets are in a league of their own, with Pro models capturing a staggering 69 per cent share of all iPhones globally and 47 per cent in the United States. “India has the lowest Pro and Pro Max contribution in these markets, and the wide gap reflects differences in purchasing power and the pace of premiumisation,” said Shubham Singh, an analyst at Counterpoint.

 

India is one of the largest premiumisation opportunities for Apple in emerging markets, according to Omdia. The Pro series’ contribution signifies significant headroom for expansion within Apple’s existing user base rather than through new acquisitions.

 

Omdia projects that increasing the iPhone Pro mix from 18 per cent to 27 per cent by 2027 would boost Apple’s annual revenue in India from $15.5 billion to $18.2 billion.

 

This lower adoption rate isn’t isolated to iPhones — it extends across Apple’s entire product ecosystem, including AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads, and Mac computers.

 

According to Omdia, for every 100 iPhones shipped in India, just seven pairs of AirPods are sold — in contrast to 33 in Malaysia, 28 in Brazil, 21 in Mexico and 17 in Thailand. Similarly, Apple Watch shipments in Thailand are eight times higher, in Malaysia over six times higher, and in Brazil and Mexico more than three times higher than in India.

 

In India, for instance, only four iPads were shipped for every 100 iPhones, compared to 57 in Malaysia. However, laptops are the one category where India edges ahead of Thailand and Brazil, though it still lags behind Malaysia and Mexico.