India becomes smartphone export powerhouse with record Q1FY26 shipments
New Delhi: India's smartphone exports have achieved a new record in the April-June quarter (Q1FY26), with shipments surging to $7.72 billion, marking a 58 per cent increase compared to $4.9 billion in the same period last year.
A major driver of this growth is Apple Inc., which exported $6 billion worth of iPhones through its contract manufacturers during the quarter. This represents an impressive 82 per cent year-on-year increase for Apple, making Q1FY26 not only Apple's best export period but also the highest quarterly smartphone export total for India overall. Apple alone accounted for nearly 78 per cent of all smartphone exports during this quarter.
This remarkable surge is largely attributed to the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, introduced in 2020, which has been instrumental in boosting local manufacturing. Since the scheme's inception, India's smartphone exports have seen substantial growth, rising from $3.1 billion in FY21 to $24.1 billion by FY25, with Apple contributing $17.5 billion to that total.
In broader terms, India's total electronics exports in Q1FY26 reached $12.4 billion, a 48 per cent increase year-over-year. Smartphones constituted 62% of these exports, up from 58 per cent in the previous year's corresponding quarter, underscoring India's shift from basic assembly to more value-added electronics manufacturing.
Beyond Apple, other key contributors to smartphone exports include Padget Electronics, a subsidiary of Dixon Technologies, which exported $175 million worth of smartphones, and Samsung, accounting for 12 per cent of smartphone exports.
Looking ahead, a current US investigation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, expected to conclude by August 14, could potentially lead to import duties on national security grounds. Such actions could disrupt global supply chains. However, reports highlight India's growing prominence in the global electronics manufacturing landscape; smartphones, which were ranked 167th in India's export list in FY15, have now become the nation's top export item by HS code in FY25.
With inputs from IANS