India has emerged as the number one exporter of smartphones to the United States for the first time in history, overtaking China in a dramatic reshaping of global supply chains. The latest data from research firm Canalys for the second quarter of 2025 confirms India’s rapid rise as a global manufacturing hub, marking a defining moment in the country’s technology and export trajectory.
India-assembled smartphones accounted for a commanding 44 per cent of total US smartphone imports in Q2 2025, a massive leap from just 13 per cent in the same quarter last year. In contrast, China’s share of smartphone exports to the US plummeted to just 25 per cent, down sharply from 61 per cent in Q2 2024. This signifies a 240 per cent year-on-year surge in smartphone shipments from India and a parallel erosion in China’s dominant position in the US smartphone market.
This tectonic shift is largely driven by US tech giant Apple’s strategic manufacturing pivot to India. Amid ongoing trade tensions and tariff uncertainties between Washington and Beijing, Apple has chosen to relocate a substantial part of its production for the US market to Indian soil. India has become the core export base for Apple’s base iPhone models, while premium iPhone 16 Pro models continue to be assembled primarily in China.
Apple’s China Plus One strategy has translated into a dedicated push to diversify supply chains and reduce dependence on Chinese manufacturing. In the first half of 2025, the company preemptively front loaded its US-bound inventory, especially in March, to shield itself from potential tariff risks. This strategic move not only boosted India’s smartphone export figures but also established the country as a reliable and agile alternative manufacturing base for Apple.
In Q1 of FY26 (April to June 2025), Apple alone exported more than $5 billion worth of iPhones from India, accounting for nearly 70 per cent of India’s total smartphone exports. This was a substantial increase from the $3 billion exported in the same period the previous year. With suppliers such as Foxconn and Tata Electronics ramping up operations, India’s total smartphone exports in the June quarter surged past $7 billion, a robust 40 per cent Samsung increase year-on-year.
Samsung and Motorola Follow Apple’s Lead in Making India a Smartphone Export Powerhouse
While Apple has taken the lead in shifting production, other smartphone brands such as Samsung and Motorola have also expanded their export footprint from India. However, their contribution remains modest compared to Apple’s scale. Motorola continues to maintain its core manufacturing presence in China, whereas Samsung relies predominantly on its facilities in Vietnam. Nonetheless, their increased interest in India highlights the country’s growing attractiveness as a stable and efficient production destination.
India’s meteoric rise as a smartphone export leader comes at a time when overall smartphone shipments to the US market rose just 1 per cent year-on-year in the June quarter, indicating tepid consumer demand. Yet, despite the overall slowdown, India’s share has grown exponentially, signaling the strength of its manufacturing base and policy-driven support for electronics exports.
India’s elevation to the top spot in smartphone exports to the US is a testament to its growing stature in global manufacturing. With Apple’s continued expansion, and Indian firms like Tata Electronics stepping into high-value component manufacturing, the country is well on its way to becoming a critical node in global technology supply chains. The Canalys report also notes that China has now dropped to third place in US smartphone imports, behind both India and Vietnam, underscoring the scale of the shift underway.
This development reinforces the success of India’s focused push to build an ecosystem for electronics and mobile phone manufacturing under the Make in India initiative. By leveraging geopolitical shifts, scaling up production capacity, and attracting global technology giants, India has decisively positioned itself as a manufacturing powerhouse and exporter on the world stage.
Comments