iPhone Helps India Overtake China as the Leading Manufacturer for U.S. Smartphones - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iPhone Helps India Overtake China as the Leading Manufacturer for U.S. Smartphones

India has overtaken China as the leading manufacturer of smartphones shipped to the United States, a change largely driven by Apple, according to Canalys.

iPhone 16 Pro Colors
New data from Canalys shows that iPhone shipments to the United States fell 11% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2025, as the company accelerated a major supply chain shift to India amid persistent trade tensions with China; Apple shipped 13.3 million iPhones to the U.S. between April and June, down from 14.9 million units in the same period last year.

The decline follows a strong first quarter in which Apple saw a 25% year-over-year shipment increase, partly attributed to early consumer purchases ahead of anticipated tariffs. Canalys attributes the second-quarter decline to a combination of frontloaded demand, rising economic pressure on consumers, and increased competition in the low- and mid-range segments of the market.

Despite the drop in shipments, Apple remained the leading smartphone vendor in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2025, holding a 49% market share. This still represents a 7% decline from the 56% share recorded in the second quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, Samsung obtained 38% year-over-year growth, reaching 8.3 million units shipped and expanding its market share from 23% to 31%.

The share of U.S. smartphone shipments assembled in China dropped from 61% in the second quarter of 2024 to 25% in the second quarter of 2025. India now accounts for 44% of U.S. smartphone imports, up from just 13% a year ago. This marks the first time India has overtaken China as the leading manufacturing hub for smartphones shipped to the United States.

India became the leading manufacturing hub for smartphones sold in the U.S. for the very first time in Q2 2025, largely driven by Apple's accelerated supply chain shift to India amid an uncertain trade landscape between the U.S. and China. Apple has scaled up its production capacity in India over the last several years as a part of its 'China Plus One' strategy and has opted to dedicate most of its export capacity in India to supply the U.S. market so far in 2025.

Apple began assembling iPhone 16 Pro models in India during the quarter, marking a significant expansion of the company's operations in the country. Nevertheless, the company continues to rely on manufacturing facilities in China to meet the full scale of U.S. demand for Pro models.

The shift is part of Apple's broader effort to mitigate risk from U.S.-China trade tensions and reduce dependence on a single country for production. Apple also continued to frontload inventories in the second quarter to prepare for potential tariffs later in 2025.

Apple built up its inventories rapidly toward the end of Q1 and sought to maintain this level in Q2. Yet, the market only grew 1% despite vendors frontloading inventory, indicating tepid demand in an increasingly pressured economic environment and a widening gap between sell-in and sell-through.

The 1% overall market growth in U.S. smartphone shipments in the second quarter suggests that consumer appetite for new smartphones remains subdued. Apple is expected to report earnings on July 31.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: Canalys, India

Popular Stories

airpods 5 india

Apple Launches Special Edition AirPods 5 in India

Monday October 12, 2026 3:28 am PDT by
Apple is marking India's festive diwali season with a limited edition of the AirPods 5, featuring a rangoli-inspired engraving. The case's design draws on the traditional Indian art form, arranging a decorative pattern around a heart-eyes emoji. The earbuds cost ₹17,900 (approximately $187), matching the Indian price of the regular AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case. The celebrations ...
iOS 28 AI

Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28

Sunday November 8, 2026 7:42 am PST by
Apple has made a change to its development process for iOS 28, macOS 28, and corresponding software updates, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, he said Apple separates development of each year's new operating systems into three major stages. Typically, he said each stage consists of four weeks of coding followed by a four-week "convergence" period where...
duo aquarium

More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try

Friday November 6, 2026 3:27 pm PST by
When the iPhone Duo launched, we shared a list of some of the fun apps developers created for the new form factor. Two weeks out, developers are continuing to come up with fresh ideas, so we thought we'd share some of our favorites. Games Marbles Unhinged ($2.99) - Marbles Unhinged is a marble maze designed for the Duo. When you fold it, the floor turns into a ramp. If you stand the top...

Top Rated Comments

17 months ago

Apple is going to continue to see a fall in sales as one bone head design decision after another starts to take it's toll. I have used Apple products for almost 20 years now, and I must say that my next phone is probably going to be an android. Haven't been impressed with their laptops either over the past 20 years. The last good laptop Apple made was the 2012 macbook pro. It has been all downhill since Steve Jobs died.

So yeah, if a 20 year fanboy is ready to stop buying Apple, I would say their best years are behind them.
accidentally stumble into the wrong thread there?
think you meant to enter one of the 50,000 “Apple is Doomed” threads just created within the last two weeks and missclicked…
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Adam Warlock Avatar
17 months ago

So what are you doing here?

Anyway, US will get expensive and worse quality iPhones. The rest of the world will get them cheaper and higher quality (China made).
I don't understand. Where did the Chinese get this magical ability to assemble electronic components better than anyone else? I hope you don't believe the nonsense Tim Cook tried to push a while back claiming that only China has the skillset to put these bits of glass, metal, silicon and plastic together. The Chinese are not born with this knowledge; it was taught to them, and can thus be likewise taught to anyone else, including workers in Western nations. Costs is another issue entirely, but to claim that quality is best from China is rubbish.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
17 months ago

Apple is going to continue to see a fall in sales as one bone head design decision after another starts to take it's toll. I have used Apple products for almost 20 years now, and I must say that my next phone is probably going to be an android. Haven't been impressed with their laptops either over the past 20 years. The last good laptop Apple made was the 2012 macbook pro. It has been all downhill since Steve Jobs died.

So yeah, if a 20 year fanboy is ready to stop buying Apple, I would say their best years are behind them.
Multiple things don't add up with your comment. You are a "20 year Apple fanboy" who hasn't been impressed with Apple's phones or laptops "over the past 20 years" but you also liked the 2012 MacBook Pro (2012 was only 13 years ago). You're not a "fanboy" if you aren't impressed with Apple products. You might use them, but that's not the same as being a "fanboy".

"It has been all downhill since Steve Jobs died."

He died in 2011 but you thought the 2012 MacBook Pro was good. That's not "downhill" from his death even acknowledging the 2012 MBP was similar to the 2011 one. Also, if you haven't tried Apple Silicon laptops, you're missing out. Absolutely phenomenal computers.

I'll say as someone who has been mainly but not exclusively using Apple products for more than 40 years -- they are better now than they've ever been.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GUNSTAR1 Avatar
17 months ago
I think India is in a far better position to become chinas replacement for manufacturing. China has been getting away with IP theft for too long for one thing and i think thats pushing more companies to get away from them. Apple would be smart to do so.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Adam Warlock Avatar
17 months ago

When was the last time India made anything of quality?

Sure, Indians can be trained but there will be a ton of growing pains.
I don't know. My point is that the Chinese are not the only ones that can assemble phones. This knowledge can and should be spread out, particularly to Western nations.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
17 months ago

Apple is going to continue to see a fall in sales as one bone head design decision after another starts to take it's toll. I have used Apple products for almost 20 years now, and I must say that my next phone is probably going to be an android. Haven't been impressed with their laptops either over the past 20 years. The last good laptop Apple made was the 2012 macbook pro. It has been all downhill since Steve Jobs died.

So yeah, if a 20 year fanboy is ready to stop buying Apple, I would say their best years are behind them.
So what are you doing here?

Anyway, US will get expensive and worse quality iPhones. The rest of the world will get them cheaper and higher quality (China made).
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
This Could Be Your Last Chance to Pre-Order the HomeView at a Discount
This Could Be Your Last Chance to Pre-Order the HomeView at a Discount
3 minutes ago
Some HomePod Mini 2 Buyers Returning Units Over Mac Speaker Issues
Some HomePod Mini 2 Buyers Returning Units Over Mac Speaker Issues
18 minutes ago
MacBook Pro With PROLED XDR Display: Details You Might Have Missed
MacBook Pro With PROLED XDR Display: Details You Might Have Missed
29 minutes ago
Satechi Offers MacRumors Readers 30% Off Select Accessories in Early Black Friday Sale
Satechi Offers MacRumors Readers 30% Off Select Accessories in Early Black Friday Sale
51 minutes ago
Leaker Envisions a Shorter iPhone With a New iOS Layout
Leaker Envisions a Shorter iPhone With a New iOS Layout
1 hour ago
Apple to Give You More Control Over When Your Mac Passwords Lock
Apple to Give You More Control Over When Your Mac Passwords Lock
2 hours ago
Siri Is Getting a Better Memory
Siri Is Getting a Better Memory
3 hours ago
iPhone 18e Could Feature Bigger Display and Battery
iPhone 18e Could Feature Bigger Display and Battery
3 hours ago
Apple's Siri Boss May Leave - Here's Who Could Take Over
Apple's Siri Boss May Leave - Here's Who Could Take Over
3 hours ago
Apple Launching Two More New Products This Friday
Apple Launching Two More New Products This Friday
4 hours ago
Apple Store Subscription Sign-Up Controversy Exposed
Apple Store Subscription Sign-Up Controversy Exposed
12 hours ago
Siri AI Rumored to Become 'More Like an Agent' as Early as Next Year
Siri AI Rumored to Become 'More Like an Agent' as Early as Next Year
22 hours ago
Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28
Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28
1 day ago
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
2 days ago
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
2 days ago
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
Top Stories: Apple Product Launches, iOS 27.3 Beta, and More
2 days ago
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
More Fun iPhone Duo Apps: 30 New Picks to Try
3 days ago
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
Hands-On With Apple's New OLED Touchscreen MacBook Pro
3 days ago
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
Apple Store With All-New Design Opening Soon in Southern California
3 days ago
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
Control the Glowing Apple Logo on Your New MacBook Pro
3 days ago
Apple Shares New 'Apple Card: Apply and Use in Minutes' Ad
Apple Shares New 'Apple Card: Apply and Use in Minutes' Ad
3 days ago
Apple Says More Than 100,000 Apps Optimized for iPhone Duo, Here's What's Still Missing
Apple Says More Than 100,000 Apps Optimized for iPhone Duo, Here's What's Still Missing
3 days ago
Early Black Friday Deals Kickoff With Steep Discounts on Apple Watch Ultras and More
Early Black Friday Deals Kickoff With Steep Discounts on Apple Watch Ultras and More
3 days ago
The MacRumors Show: iOS 27.3 Looks Like a Huge Update
The MacRumors Show: iOS 27.3 Looks Like a Huge Update
3 days ago
Best Buy's Black Friday Event Begins With Sitewide Savings on Apple, TVs, More
Best Buy's Black Friday Event Begins With Sitewide Savings on Apple, TVs, More
3 days ago
Apple Releasing Yet Another Two New Products Next Week
Apple Releasing Yet Another Two New Products Next Week
3 days ago
MacBook Air Drops to Lowest Price in Months With Amazon's $250 Discount
MacBook Air Drops to Lowest Price in Months With Amazon's $250 Discount
3 days ago
Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year
Apple Rumored to Drop the iPhone's Action Button Next Year
3 days ago
Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2026 Holiday Season
Apple's Extended Return Policy Now in Effect for 2026 Holiday Season
3 days ago
Apple Music Classical Updated With New Icon and Refreshed Design
Apple Music Classical Updated With New Icon and Refreshed Design
3 days ago