Smartphone shipments into the United States increased by 30% in March 2025, as revealed by new data from Counterpoint Research.
This increase came as leading brands, including Apple, Samsung, and Motorola, accelerated their imports to dodge tariff threats that could have disrupted pricing and demand.
Apple alone shipped $2 billion worth of iPhones from India in March, leveraging its production partners, Foxconn and Tata Electronics.
This was a historic record for the company and stressed a bigger shift in global supply chain strategies. I find this development unsurprising.
In recent years, the U.S.-China trade tension has triggered a wave of recalibrations. Tech giants are now leaning heavily into India and Vietnam, seeking more stability and new manufacturing hubs.
The U.S. had pointed to new tariffs on electronic imports in early April, but the Biden administration issued a temporary 90-day suspension. That pause gave companies like Apple some breathing room, but not enough to stall their contingency plans.
“The increase in smartphone shipments in March and early April will help insulate Apple from potential immediate pricing impacts in the U.S. through mid-to-late summer,” said senior research analyst Gerrit Schneemann.
He added, “Should the tariff situation remain unresolved with China by the time the iPhone 17 ships, we expect India to become the primary provider for U.S.-bound iPhone 17 devices.”
Apple’s sales to distributors and retailers rose by 42% in March. Samsung posted a 4% increase in sell-in, while Motorola, owned by Lenovo, nearly tripled its exports from India.
The result was that India’s share of U.S. smartphone imports jumped from 16% in the first quarter of 2024 to 26% this year.
This is a global reset in motion and by the June quarter, Apple expects most of the iPhones sold in the U.S. to be sourced from India.
The strategy is about long-term independence from China’s unpredictable regulatory and political environment.
