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India’s Smartphone Export Boom Is Dominated by Apple
India now exports many more smartphones than it did five years ago.
Most of this growth came from Apple’s iPhones.
Smartphone exports reached $29.36 billion in FY26.
Apple made up more than three-quarters of those exports.
Other phone makers increased their exports too, but much more slowly.
This helped electronics exports grow, although phones made up much of the increase.
The government wants companies in India to make more parts, such as displays, camera modules and circuit boards.
That could make India’s electronics industry broader and less dependent on one company.
India’s smartphone exports rose from $5.5 billion in FY22 to $29.36 billion in FY26.
Apple’s iPhone exports increased nearly 17-fold to about $22 billion during the period.
Apple contributed about $20.75 billion of India’s roughly $24 billion export increase.
Apple’s share of smartphone exports climbed from about 23% in FY22 to over 75% in FY26.
New government schemes aim to expand manufacturing beyond final assembly into components and sub-assemblies.
- Who
- Apple and other smartphone manufacturers operating in India, supported by the Indian government’s manufacturing incentive programs.
- What
- India’s smartphone exports expanded sharply, with Apple accounting for most of the increase.
- Where
- India, which has become a major export base for smartphones.
- When
- From FY22 to FY26; in the first five months of FY27, exports rose 36% year-on-year.
- Why
- The production-linked incentive scheme helped attract and expand manufacturing, while newer programs seek to develop domestic components and sub-assemblies.
Scale and Export Success
Concentration and Ecosystem Risks
Impact of the PLI program
Scale and Export Success
The program created scale in mobile-phone manufacturing, attracted global companies and established smartphones as a major export engine.
Concentration and Ecosystem Risks
The export increase was concentrated overwhelmingly in Apple, so headline growth does not yet demonstrate a broad-based electronics industry.
Apple’s role
Scale and Export Success
Apple’s expanding contract-manufacturing base has helped make India a significant iPhone export hub.
Concentration and Ecosystem Risks
Apple accounted for about 82% of smartphone exports in the first five months of FY27, highlighting dependence on one company.
Next phase of manufacturing
Scale and Export Success
The existing scale can provide a foundation for expanding India’s electronics production.
Concentration and Ecosystem Risks
Further progress requires moving beyond final assembly into components and sub-assemblies, including displays, camera modules and printed circuit boards.
Key facts
- Smartphone exports
- Rose from $5.5 billion in FY22 to $29.36 billion in FY26.
- Apple exports
- Increased from about $1.25 billion in FY22 to around $22 billion in FY26.
- Apple’s FY26 share
- More than 75% of India’s smartphone exports.
- Non-Apple exports
- Rose from about $4.2 billion to $7.4 billion between FY22 and FY26.
- Electronics exports
- Reached about $48 billion in FY26, up from $23.55 billion in FY23.
- Early FY27 performance
- Smartphone exports rose 36% year-on-year to $15.96 billion during April-August.
- New policy focus
- The Mobile Phone Manufacturing Scheme and Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme target deeper domestic production.
Sources
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