Canalys: India's smartphone shipments reached 37.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2024, a year-on-year decrease of 4%

According to the latest research from Canalys, smartphone shipments in India fell 4% to 37.2 million units in the fourth quarter of 2024 as vendors adjusted their inventory after the festive season. Vivo maintained its lead with 7.5 million units and a 20% market share.

Xiaomi ranked second with 5.7 million units shipped.

Samsung ranked third with 5.4 million units shipped.

OPPO (excluding OnePlus) and Apple ranked in the top five, with shipments of 4.2 million and 4 million units respectively.

Apple took fifth place for the first time, driven by aggressive promotions and strong holiday demand.

Driven by the pandemic update cycle and 5G upgrades, the Indian smartphone market grew 5% in 2024, with shipments reaching 155.9 million units. Vendors actively launched new devices in the first three quarters, with some adopting a product mix strategy to focus on higher price ranges. However, during the festive season, brands faced inventory backlogs due to weak mass market demand. This prompted brands to offer deep discounts and expand channel margins to clear inventory and end 2024 with a better inventory position.

Canalys Senior Analyst Sanyam Chaurasia said: "Apple has entered the top five in the Indian smartphone market for the first time and continues to focus on driving upgrades and strengthening its ecosystem. In 2024, competition in the super-premium market intensifies as Android vendors actively launch new products. As a result, Apple has been confident in channel-driven promotions, especially during the launch of competitors' flagship products, ahead of iPhone launches and festive season. In addition to instant cash back and discounts, programs such as the 'Buyback Program' and 'iPhone Lifetime Plan' (which offers interest-free EMI plans) have significantly increased consumers' purchasing power and driven phone upgrades. Merchants believe that Apple's strong brand appeal is a key driver and they are willing to bear the cost of running these zero-interest programs. Going forward, Apple will focus on three key areas - driving existing customers to upgrade to the Pro series after local production price adjustment, expanding into lower-tier cities, attracting new iOS users in the context of the high value of iPhone, and driving ecosystem demand in the entire market."