• Total smartphone shipments surged 30% YoY, supported by increases across OEMs to beat tariffs.
• Tariffs drove a shift in the country-of-origin mix away from China in Q1 2025, with a strong uptick in shipments from India in March.
• Devices manufactured in India represented 26% of shipments in Q1 2025, up from 16% in Q1 2024.
• Apple’s sell-in grew 42% YoY in March as the company rushed inventory into the US ahead of the Trump administration announcing a raft of tariffs on April 2.
• Samsung’s sell-in grew as well in March, but up a more modest 4% YoY.

Fort Collins, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo – May 14, 2025

Ahead of the Trump administration announcing a raft of tariffs on April 2, smartphone shipments surged 30% YoY in March as OEMs across the board raced to bring inventory into the country to beat these tariffs. Shipment volumes increased across the major smartphone exporting countries like China, India and Vietnam. This increased US inventories by 51% YoY for March, according to Counterpoint’s US Smartphone Inventory Tracker.

Tariffs drove a shift in the country-of-origin mix away from China in Q1 2025 with a strong uptick in shipments from India in March. Apple, Samsung and Motorola all saw their shipment contribution from India increase. Motorola nearly tripled its volume from India in March YoY and Samsung leaned more heavily on India to produce the Galaxy A16. India-manufactured devices represented 26% of Q1 2025 shipments, up from 16% in Q1 2024.

Apple’s sell-in grew 42% YoY in March as it rushed units into the US to avoid the most severe impact of tariffs placed on China. Inventory in Q1 climbed to a record number of weeks to help keep prices stable through the summer. Shipments from India increased disproportionately YoY, whereas China saw a less dramatic bump. Some of that increase also spilled over into the first week of April. “The increase in shipments in March and early April will help insulate Apple from potential immediate pricing impacts in the US through mid-to-late summer. Should the tariff situation remain unresolved with China by the time the iPhone 17 ships, we expect India to become the primary provider for US-bound iPhone 17 devices,” said Senior Research Analyst Gerrit Schneemann.

Samsung’s sell-in grew a modest 4% YoY in March. The initial Vietnam tariff actions came as a surprise to many, as the first Trump administration had focused its tariff policy exclusively on China. Samsung is far less reliant on China than others, and therefore, was in a good position to avoid being directly impacted. However, the company now faces tariffs itself. Samsung also has a different portfolio and launch structure, given the usual mid-year launch of its foldable devices. This year, it is also launching the Galaxy S25 Edge in May. As a result, it is not necessarily able to consolidate shipments in the way that Apple does. However, Samsung’s position is still strong given the ongoing talks between Vietnam and the US and a 90-day pause on the initially proposed 46% reciprocal tariffs. Samsung is hoping those discussions result in a trade deal that will help it avoid price increases.

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media, and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects, and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.