Apple’s iPhone sold well in the first eight days of India’s festive season sales

According to new research from Strategy Analytics, India smartphone sales revenue grew +17% annually in the first eight days of festive season sales from Sept. 13-30 driven by the wholesale ASP [average selling price] growth of +19%. Samsung leads the pack with 26% market share, followed by Xiaomi and Realme.

Though Apple’s iPhone didn’t make it into the top three spots, it sold well. Apple devices were discounted up to 33% at major e-tailers. 

“The second gen devices like iPhone 13 was handsomely discounted and well received. We believe iPhone 13 was the best-selling model for two reasons,” says Abhilash Kumar, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics. “Firstly, it’s the latest one of all the models available for sale with attractive discount. Secondly, apart from satellite connectivity and crash detection iPhone 14’s look and feel are quite similar to that of iPhone 13 and the processor is also the same in both the devices. Hence, people already have the option for a cheaper iPhone 13. We believe after the discount on iPhone 13, its demand will grow more in the following festive sales.”

The festive month is generally defined as a period starting from the first sales event and lasting roughly till Diwali week.