Apple breaks into India’s top 5 smartphone brands as premium sales surge in 2024

India’s smartphone market saw a major shift in 2024, with premium and ultra-premium devices driving growth while budget segments faced mixed trends. According to the latest CyberMedia Research (CMR) India Mobile Handset Market Review Report, brands like Vivo, Xiaomi, and Samsung dominated the overall market, while Apple made a historic entry into the top five smartphone brands for the first time.

In Q4 2024, Vivo topped the Indian smartphone market with an 18% market share, thanks to strong demand for models like the Vivo T3X, Vivo Y28s, and Vivo T3 Lite.

Following closely were:
• Xiaomi with a 15.2% share, led by the Redmi 13C 5G, Redmi A3X, and Poco C61.
• Samsung, securing 15.1% market share, though it struggled in the value-for-money segment with a 27% YoY decline due to intense competition.
• OPPO, which saw a 33% YoY growth, capturing 11.4% market share, supported by devices like the OPPO A3 Pro and OPPO A3X.
• Apple, breaking into the top five with 11% market share in Q4, experiencing an impressive 72% YoY growth.

Premium smartphones gain momentum

The report highlights the growing demand for high-end devices, as India’s premium smartphone market (₹25,000 – ₹50,000) grew by 36% YoY. Meanwhile, the super-premium (₹50,000 – ₹1,00,000) and ultra-premium (₹1,00,000+) segments saw 10% and 25% YoY growth, respectively.

Apple, in particular, saw its market share in the super-premium segment rise by 82% YoY, while its ultra-premium category grew by 32% YoY, reflecting increased consumer interest in flagship models.

Feature phones continue to decline

The transition to smartphones was further reflected in the feature phone market, which saw an 8% YoY decline in Q4 2024. Within this category,
    •    2G feature phones dropped by 22% YoY,
    •    4G feature phones plummeted by 59% YoY,
as consumers shifted towards more affordable 5G smartphones.

Competitive market trends and chipset wars

India’s 5G smartphone market was dominated by Vivo (19%) and Samsung (18%), while in the overall smartphone leaderboard for 2024,
    •    Xiaomi (18%) led the market,
    •    Samsung followed with 16.9%,
    •    Vivo came in third with 16.7%.

Meanwhile, Nothing recorded a staggering 800% YoY growth in Q4, driven by demand for its Nothing Phone 2a series. Motorola also saw a 48% YoY rise, benefiting from its strong product differentiation.

In the chipset battle, MediaTek held a 52% market share, making it the top choice for smartphones in India, followed by Qualcomm at 26%. However, Qualcomm-powered processors dominated the premium segment (>₹25,000), with nearly one in three premium smartphones using its chips.

CMR predicts that 2025 will see single-digit market growth, with brands pushing GenAI-powered smartphones and focusing on balancing premium and budget offerings.