The landscape of the smartphone market in the United States is undergoing a significant transformation, with ‘Made in India’ phones experiencing a surge in demand. This shift is largely attributed to the ongoing trade tensions between China and the US, which has led to a substantial increase in exports of smartphones manufactured in India. Between 2024 and 2025, the share of smartphones imported into the US from China dropped dramatically, from 61% to just 25%.
This surge in demand for Indian-made smartphones has resulted in an impressive 240% year-over-year growth in deliveries to the US market. Consequently, phones manufactured in India now constitute 44% of all smartphones imported into the US, a significant increase from just 13% a year prior.
Apple’s strategic shift in manufacturing from China to India is a key driver of this change. According to Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia, Apple manufactured the highest number of smartphones in India for the US market in the second quarter of 2025. This marks the first time India has become the largest manufacturing hub for Apple for the US market. Apple has already commenced manufacturing the iPhone 16 series Pro models in India. While some high-level models continue to be produced in China, India’s role is steadily expanding.
Samsung and Motorola are also contributing to this trend, although their production scales are currently smaller compared to Apple. Motorola still relies heavily on production in China, while Samsung depends on Vietnam. Apple plans to further expand its production capacity in India. Reports suggest that the company aims to export 80 million iPhones from India to the US by 2026, necessitating a rapid acceleration of manufacturing capabilities. India is emerging as a global leader not only in IT but also in smartphone manufacturing, and the involvement of tech giants like Apple promises further growth in this sector.
