India Overtakes China as Top US Smartphone Supplier
In a historic shift for global manufacturing, India has surpassed China to become the largest supplier of smartphones to the United States for the first time. This dramatic change is primarily driven by Apple's strategic decision to move more of its iPhone production to India, fundamentally altering the landscape of the global tech supply chain.
Monumental Shift in Numbers
According to recent data, smartphone shipments from India to the US surged by an incredible 240 percent in the second quarter of 2025. Indian-made phones now constitute 44 percent of the entire US smartphone import market, a massive jump from just 13 percent in the same period last year. Conversely, China's share has fallen sharply from 61 percent to just 25 percent, highlighting the speed and scale of this transition.
The Apple Effect
This manufacturing migration is largely the result of Apple's accelerated efforts to de-risk its supply chain amid ongoing trade tensions between the US and China. The tech giant has significantly ramped up its production base in India, focusing on assembling standard models like the iPhone 15 and 16. More recently, Apple has even begun assembling some of its high-end iPhone 16 Pro models in India, signaling a deeper, long-term commitment. While other brands like Samsung and Motorola are also increasing their India-based production, Apple's move has been the single biggest contributor to this change.
This development signifies more than just a change in shipping labels. It marks India's emergence as a major, credible hub for high-end electronics manufacturing and a key player in the global effort by tech companies to diversify their production away from China.
