Apple’s iPhone doesn’t rank in the top 5 when it comes to smartphone sales in India, but the tech giant is using India’s PLI scheme to make the iPhone 13 locally and support future aggressive pricing, reports Canalys.
The PLI program launched two years ago, offers a cash incentive for three to five years on the incremental sale of goods made in India over the determined base-year sales. Additionally, the identified beneficiaries are required to commit to a certain minimum investment in India.
Apple’s participation in the PLI program seems to be paying off. Apple shipped nearly one million “Made in India”’ iPhones in the country in the first quarter of 2022, a jump of 50% in iPhone shipments from within the country.
In the second quarter of 2022, Indian smartphone shipments reached 36.4 million units, a 5% drop from the previous quarter, with major brands struggling to shift units as consumer demand dwindled, according Canalys. The research group adds that as the quarter was affected by the second COVID wave, the year-over-year comparison seems very positive, with shipments up by 12%.
Xiaomi retained its market-leading position, shipping 7.0 million units, despite experiencing another quarter of both annual and sequential decline. With 6.7 million shipments, Samsung came second, pulling closer to Xiaomi. Remaining in third place, realme shipped 6.1 million units, while vivo and OPPO completed the top five, shipping 6.0 million and 5.5 million units, respectively.
