In Q1 2022, Apple shipped close to 1 million iPhones that translated to a 22% jump in shipments year-on-year in India. Apple also expanded iPhone production by at least 50% which may prove fruitful sometime in the future. Though in the big picture, Apple's sales appear to be limited to a small group.

In the premium smartphone sector, starting at over $500, Apple was the clear leader. However, that tiny sector of the market that Apple actually leads in couldn't land Apple in the top five vendors list as provided below by IDC.

According to IDC's latest smartphone report for India, Apple's 1 million iPhones was far from Vendor #5 OPPO which shipped 3.5 million units. The top vendor for Q1 2022 was China's Xiaomi that shipped 8.5 million units. China's Realme had an amazing run in the quarter. The company lept to third spot shipping 6.0 million units for 46.3% growth YoY. China's four smartphone vendors now dominate the Indian market.

(Click on image to Enlarge)

The report noted that "the premium segment (US$500+) accounted for a 5% share, with 60% of shipments coming from Apple." Apple's CEO has stated many times that "India is a very important market" though it's definitely a very long term play.  For more on  this, read the full IDC report.

India's Local Vendors Dominate the Wireless Earbuds Market

A new report by Counterpoint posted yesterday points to the reality that four out of the top five True Wireless earbud brands local Indian companies. Apple once again did not make the top five vendor list.  

(Click on image to Enlarge)

Highlights

• India brands captured a 72% share in Q1 2022, up from 57% in Q1 2021.
• Four out of the top five spots were captured by Indian brands.
• boAt led the market with a 34% share, while Noise captured the second spot for the second consecutive quarter.
• Boult Audio, the third-largest TWS brand, reached its highest ever share of 7%.
• 10 new brands entered this segment in Q1 2022.
• Domestic manufacturing stood at 14%. It was almost negligible in Q1 2021.
• Almost eight out of ten models were sold online with Flipkart dominating the channels.

Senior Research Analyst Liz Lee: "The premium segment (more than INR 5,000 or $65) registered 53% YoY growth in Q1 2022 led by Apple,  Samsung and Sony. Apple and Samsung shipments were driven by their loyal customers, advanced product portfolios and growing smartphone ecosystems."

Lee added that "Apple AirPods Pro and AirPods 3rd Generation were the best TWS devices in the premium segment."

For the record, Apple's AirPods 3 sell for $179 or roughly 3X the premium starting point of $65 in India.

COVID-19 has delayed Apple's plans to open large Apple Stores in Mumbai which will definitely help to boost Apple's image and sales long-term. Any talk of opening stores in India has been muted until COVID-19 is better controlled.

For more details, review the full report by Counterpoint.