While the Indian tech press was pleasantly surprised that Google's new Pixel smartphone has taken 10% of the premium smartphone market in India, they also noted the fact that Apple has trumped Samsung in this category by a long shot taking 66% to Samsung's meager 23%.

According to an India Times report published today, "Apple had a 66% share of the high-end smartphone market as of last month, as shipments of iPhone 7 and 7 Plus outdid those of Samsung Galaxy S7 and other variants. Samsung had a 23% share.

Google's success in India is coming at Samsung expense. With the Note7 being discontinued due to dangerous battery fires, consumers were more willing to go with Google's new premium smartphone that also carries the advantage of being the only Android smartphone that will be updated regulartly and use the new Nuget OS.

Apple's long standing quality brand and security updates still holds sway with the India's middle class. For more on this, see the full India Times report here.

In May Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple & Reliance Jio Forge Long-Term Relationship in India." In that report I noted that "Apple and Reliance have agreed to forge a long-term relationship wich includes supplying millions of VoLTE iPhones that will work on Reliance Jio's 4G Network as well as deploying an enterprise solution." That relationship is paying off as Reliance Jio is adding nearly 1,000 new customers per minute. As of November 26, Reliance Jio now has over 50 million customers.

Jio has a strong 4G presence in India with the highest quantum of 4G spectrum across 800 MHz, 1,800 MHz and 2,300 MHz bands. This gives the telco an edge over rivals and it chooses to do what it wants with that – In this case giving the people of India a cost-free mobile internet service for a limited time.

Apple's CEO noted in his opening statement during Apple's Q4 Financial Conference Call that "Looking ahead, we're seeing some very exciting developments in India. Reliance Jio is rolling out a first of its kind all IP network in India with 4G coverage in 18,000 cities and 200,000 villages across the country. They're offering a free year of service to purchasers of new iPhones and we're partnering with them to ensure great iPhone performance on their network.

Our iPhone sales in India were up over 50% in fiscal 2016 compared to the prior year and we believe we're just beginning to scratch the surface of this large and growing market opportunity."

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