India Becomes Top Smartphone Exporter to US, Surpassing China Amid Apple’s Manufacturing Shift

In a landmark shift in global electronics manufacturing, India has emerged as the leading exporter of smartphones to the United States, surpassing China for the first time. This milestone, fueled largely by Apple’s expanded production in India, reflects the tech industry's accelerating pivot amid growing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Fresh data from research firm Canalys, now part of Omdia, shows that smartphone shipments from India to the US skyrocketed by 240% in Q2 2025, capturing a 44% share of all US-bound smartphones. Just a year ago, India’s share stood at only 13%. Meanwhile, China’s dominance fell drastically, dropping to 25% from 61% in the same quarter of 2024.

Driving this dramatic transformation is Apple’s aggressive supply chain shift to India, which began gradually but gained momentum over the past year. “India became the leading manufacturing hub for smartphones sold in the US 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 US and China,” said Sanyam Chaurasia, Principal Analyst at Canalys.

Apple has increasingly relied on Indian facilities to assemble its iPhone models, particularly the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. Notably, the company has also initiated the assembly of iPhone 16 Pro models in India, a step that suggests deeper long-term intentions to diversify production away from China. However, China continues to handle large-scale production of the Pro lineup, at least for now.

Other manufacturers have also contributed to this trend, though to a lesser extent. Samsung, for example, still leans heavily on Vietnam for smartphone production but has begun expanding its Indian manufacturing footprint. Motorola, whose supply chain was mostly China-centric, has also started boosting output from Indian plants in recent months.

Analysts highlight a broader pattern of supply chain diversification. Ongoing tariff disputes, geopolitical uncertainty, and trade policy fluctuations have prompted tech companies to front-load inventory and redesign their sourcing strategies for resilience. India, with its expanding infrastructure and skilled workforce, is emerging as a reliable alternative for high-end manufacturing—not just for budget devices.

Interestingly, while India’s export volume to the US surged, the US smartphone market itself grew only 1% in the quarter. Apple’s US-bound shipments dipped by 11% year-on-year, while Samsung saw a 38% increase. Motorola experienced modest growth at 2%, with Google and TCL completing the top five vendors in terms of volume.

India’s newfound position as the primary smartphone supplier to the US is not just a symbolic victory. It underscores the country’s rise as a strategic global manufacturing hub, capable of supporting premium-grade devices and reshaping the future of the electronics supply chain.