That's right, the top smartphone brand in the world's most populous nation is one many American consumers are unlikely to have ever heard of. I'm talking about China-based Vivo, which managed to edge out compatriot Xiaomi back in 2024 and then consolidate and impressively extend its lead in 2025.
That may look like a win for Samsung over Apple, but it's actually not.
This time around, Xiaomi is not the silver... or the bronze medalist, but while Samsung is moving from third to second place, its sales are down by 11 percent year-on-year. That obviously means Xiaomi's figures took an even bigger hit (of no less than 26 percent, to be specific) between 2024 and 2025, making room for Vivo sister brand Oppo to jump on the podium on the back of a solid 10 percent improvement in shipments.
Of course, Vivo's growth was even more remarkable, at 19 percent, although another top five vendor managed to boost its smartphone sales in India by a whopping 28 percent. That's Apple, which sits in fifth place... with the potential to grow further in 2026 if the iPhone 17e becomes the local hit many analysts are currently predicting.
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The "base" iPhone 17 was unsurprisingly the company's most successful product in the region over the final three months of 2025, which does however pose a bit of a problem for Apple this year if a "vanilla" iPhone 18 is indeed not coming by next spring.
Apple didn't exactly end the year on a high note
You know how iPhones tend to prove especially popular over the holidays in many countries due to new launches taking place in September? That was actually not the case in India, where Apple was ranked fifth in Q4 2025 with a slightly lower sales total than back in Q4 2024.
2025 was clearly a very good year for Apple in India... and a pretty bad one for Samsung. | Image Credit -- Omdia
The last three months of last year were also dominated by Vivo, which somehow boosted its regional shipments by 16 percent compared to the last three months of the previous year, while Samsung held on to its number two spot in spite of an 11 percent sales decline and a 10 percent jump for Oppo.
Clearly, those once hugely successful Galaxy A-series mid-rangers are no longer clicking with Indian audiences, being replaced in the hearts of many by such budget-friendly devices as the Vivo Y31 5G, Y19s 5G, V60e, as well as various Oppo A and K-series models.
But the final quarter of last year was not great for Apple in India... or Samsung. | Image Credit -- Omdia
Although not ranked among the nation's five biggest vendors, OnePlus, Motorola, and Nothing are all praised for their growth too, which helped the market... stay relatively flat in 2025. That's right, overall shipments dropped by just 1 percent last year in India compared to 2024, while Q4 sales were down a slightly more worrying 7 percent.
Can Apple take over India soon?
Probably not. Not unless the company drastically revises its strategy to directly compete against those ultra-affordable Android soldiers from Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi that continue to sell like hotcakes in the region quarter after quarter and year after year.
If I were a betting man, I'd probably put my money on Vivo rather than Apple or Samsung for 2026.
But the market is clearly shifting to favor "premium" devices more than ever, and if the iPhone 17e somehow manages to both be premium enough and affordable enough, I can definitely see Apple make India's podium in Q2 2026 and maybe even for the entire year.
Naturally, the iPhone 17e has to actually be released first, so it's probably wise not to get ahead of ourselves here... and disregard Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, and even Samsung's power to fend off Apple's handsets in such price-focused markets as India.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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