As per a new report by Counterpoint Research, Apple's iPhone 11 has played an instrumental role in driving up the company's market share in India. In Q1 2020, Apple was the third fastest-growing smartphone brand in the country.

iPhone 11 was launched for just a $50 lower price tag than its predecessor, and it has done wonders in terms of sales numbers for Apple. Not only it sold well across the world, but it has also helped Apple increase its smartphone market share in India, where it typically struggles against cheaper competitors. The company saw a 78% year-over-year increase thanks to iPhone 11 and through discounts on e-commerce platforms like Flipkart and Amazon. In India's premium smartphone market, Apple led with a market share of 55%.

As per Counterpoint Research, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Samsung were the top three leaders in terms of smartphone market share. Xiaomi led by 30%, while Vivo and Samsung followed by 17% and 16%, respectively. Samsung saw a decline in market share by 8%, compared to Q1 2019.

Although the overall smartphone market in India grew by only 4% year-over-year in Q1 2020, smartphone shipments are expected to decline by 10% because of COVID-19 pandemic. Apple managed to grow its market share despite these hurdles. Things are looking up for the company as it launched iPhone SE recently.

Although iPhone SE is not available for sale in India yet, it is priced lower than the iPhone 11. Apple might still face some challenges as the price for iPhone SE in India is equivalent to 561.61 USD (at the time of writing), which makes it more expensive than offerings by competitors, who typically price their products lower in India. In fact, as per Counterpoint Research, iPhone SE's price in India puts it in the ultra-premium segment of that market. iPhone SE is available for $400 in the United States.

However, iPhone 11 also starts from a price of 903 USD in India, compared to its price of $750 in the United States, and it still sold a lot of units.