For the first time, Apple outpaced Samsung in terms of smartphone export volumes from India, shipping 49% of the country's total 12 million shipments in the June quarter, compared to 45% for its Korean rival. This demonstrates the Cupertino, California-based company's rapid expansion of domestic manufacturing in the country.

According to industry data, Apple, which manufactures iPhones in India through contract manufacturers, experienced a rapid increase in export volumes in the previous year. Its export share increased from 9% of the roughly 8 million smartphones shipped in Q2 2022 to nearly half of total smartphone exports in Q2 2023, according to industry executives. In the March quarter of this year, India exported approximately 13 million smartphones, which fell to 12 million in the second quarter of 2023. According to data obtained by ET, exports totaled 10 million smartphones in Q1 2022 and 8 million in Q2 2022.

To be sure, Apple has been the leading smartphone exporter from India in value terms in the first half of 2023, given that it plays in the premium and super premium segments while Samsung has devices across price bands, say experts.