Tech giant Apple is set to strengthen its retail presence in India with the opening of its second Mumbai store next month, marking another milestone in the company’s aggressive expansion across the country. The upcoming outlet at Sky City Mall in Borivali will bring Apple’s signature retail experience closer to customers in the northern suburbs, making Mumbai the first city in India to host two official Apple retail locations.
The new store will feature specialist shopping assistance, interactive “Today at Apple” creative sessions, Genius Bar technical support, in-store pickup, free delivery options, and personalised engraving services on select products such as iPads and AirPods. The initiative reflects Apple’s strategy to deepen customer engagement through experiential retail spaces rather than traditional sales outlets.
Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted India’s growth potential during the company’s fiscal Q1 2026 earnings call, noting strong momentum in the premium smartphone segment and rising consumer demand. According to the company, high footfall is expected at the new store, driven by Mumbai’s expanding tech-savvy audience.
The Borivali opening follows Apple’s rapid retail rollout after launching flagship outlets across major Indian cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, and Noida since 2023. Industry observers say the expansion underlines Apple’s long-term confidence in the India market, where premium device adoption continues to climb despite competitive pricing pressures.
With its second Mumbai store, Apple aims to enhance accessibility while reinforcing its brand presence in one of the country’s most influential technology and lifestyle hubs.
Apple has once again strengthened its foothold in the Indian smartphone market, with the iPhone 16 becoming the top-selling smartphone in India during 2025. According to industry estimates, Apple sold around 6.5 million units of the iPhone 16 in the first 11 months of the year, marking a significant achievement for the tech giant in one of the world’s fastest-growing mobile markets.
This milestone reflects Apple’s growing appeal among Indian consumers, driven by a combination of improved affordability through local manufacturing, attractive financing options, and rising demand for premium smartphones. The iPhone 16’s strong performance also highlights a shift in consumer preferences, as more users opt for flagship devices offering advanced cameras, powerful processors, enhanced battery life, and seamless ecosystem integration.
India has become a key focus market for Apple, not only for sales but also for manufacturing and exports. With increasing local production under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, Apple has been able to price its devices more competitively, making premium smartphones accessible to a wider audience.
Industry experts believe the success of the iPhone 16 signals Apple’s long-term growth trajectory in India and sets the stage for even stronger performance in the coming years. As India’s digital adoption accelerates, Apple’s expanding presence underscores the country’s importance in shaping the future of the global smartphone market.
Croma, India’s trusted omni-channel electronics retailer from the Tata Group, has released its Year-End Consumer Trends 2025, offering a comprehensive look at how Indian consumers upgraded their homes, lifestyles and technology choices over the past year. The findings reflect a decisive shift from price-led purchases to experience-driven, premium and health-conscious buying behaviour across Croma’s nationwide online and offline network.
Smartphones remained central to consumer upgrades, with strong year-on-year growth driven by aspirational trade-ups. One in three smartphones sold fell within the ₹20,000–30,000 premium segment, while nearly one in five devices belonged to the flagship or super-flagship category. Emerging price bands between ₹50,000 and ₹58,000 recorded growth of over 300 percent, highlighting consumers’ growing willingness to invest in advanced technology that blends performance, identity and long-term value. This trend reflects India’s increasingly digital-first mindset, fuelled by content creation, gaming and AI-powered camera experiences.
The computing category also saw a strong premium shift, with laptops recording double-digit growth led by AI-enabled and high-performance devices. Gaming laptops surged by over 25 percent, while ultra-thin non-gaming laptops doubled in sales as consumers sought sleek, portable designs without compromising on power. Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi emerged as key hubs driving this AI-first computing wave, signalling concentrated adoption of next-generation technology across India’s major metros.
Home entertainment witnessed a significant scale-up as Indian households embraced cinema-like experiences at home. Bengaluru led demand for 65-inch televisions, while Mumbai emerged as the top market for ultra-large screens of 75 inches and above. Gurugram stood out as the most future-ready city, recording the highest preference for 8K-ready televisions. Complementing this trend, audio entertainment surged, with Delhi NCR leading demand for immersive sound systems, reinforcing its reputation as a hub for social and in-home entertainment.
Cooling solutions remained resilient across regions, with Delhi and Mumbai nearly equal in overall air conditioner demand. A strong sustainability trend emerged as one in four ACs sold nationwide was a 5-star energy-efficient model, while in Delhi, one in three AC purchases fell into this category. Smart ACs accounted for 32 percent of total AC sales, and North India saw rising demand for all-season ACs that function as heaters while consuming significantly less electricity.
Big-ticket home appliances continued their move up the value curve, with front-load washing machines registering strong double-digit growth led by Bengaluru and Pune. In refrigerators, Delhi topped sales for side-by-side door models, followed by Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, reflecting demand for larger, high-capacity appliances that support evolving lifestyles.
Health-focused appliances saw notable growth throughout 2025. Air fryer sales rose by nearly 38 percent year-on-year, led by Mumbai, signalling a shift toward healthier cooking habits. Air purifiers, once concentrated in Delhi-NCR, gained traction in Mumbai and Bengaluru, driven by heightened awareness of air quality and indoor health. Water purifiers also recorded strong demand, with Bengaluru emerging as the largest market, followed by Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad, underscoring rising concern around safe drinking water and long-term wellness.
Smart convenience emerged as the fastest-growing trend, with sales of automated and robotic appliances nearly doubling during the year. Bengaluru led the adoption of robotic solutions, positioning itself as India’s emerging robotics capital.
Commenting on the trends, a spokesperson at Infiniti Retail Ltd. noted that Indian consumers are increasingly confident, informed and willing to invest in technology that delivers everyday value, efficiency and improved quality of life. From smartphones and screens to kitchens and cooling, 2025 marked a clear transition toward premium, smart and health-first living across Indian homes.
Flipkart’s End of Season Sale, running from December 12 to 21, is offering significant discounts across a range of electronic products, with Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro emerging as one of the standout deals. Through a combination of bank offers and exchange benefits, buyers can purchase the premium smartphone for an effective price below Rs 70,000.
During the sale period, the iPhone 16 Pro with 128GB storage is listed at Rs 1,09,900 on Flipkart. Customers using a Flipkart Axis Bank credit card are eligible for an instant discount of Rs 4,000. In addition, the platform offers an exchange benefit based on the user’s old device, its condition and pincode eligibility, with the maximum exchange value going up to Rs 68,050. When both offers are applied, the effective purchase price drops well below the Rs 70,000 mark.
Although it is not Apple’s newest model, the iPhone 16 Pro remains a compelling option in 2025 thanks to its flagship-grade performance, premium build quality and long-term software support. The device features a titanium frame, textured matte glass back and Ceramic Shield protection on the front, and is available in Black, White, Natural and Desert Titanium finishes.
The smartphone sports a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 120Hz adaptive ProMotion refresh rate, HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, and up to 2,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness. Powering the device is Apple’s A18 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine, delivering smooth performance for gaming, photography and everyday tasks. Apple Intelligence features integrated into iOS further enhance productivity and creativity while maintaining a strong focus on on-device privacy.
Camera performance remains one of the iPhone 16 Pro’s key strengths. The device features a quad-camera system comprising a 48MP main sensor with advanced sensor-shift stabilisation, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, a 12MP 5x telephoto lens with tetraprism technology and a 12MP 2x telephoto option. It supports up to 25x digital zoom, 4K Dolby Vision video recording, ProRes recording up to 4K at 120fps, Log video and Spatial Video capture. The 12MP front camera supports 4K video, Night mode and enhanced portrait features.
In terms of connectivity and durability, the iPhone 16 Pro supports 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 and a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip. It includes a USB-C port with DisplayPort support and offers IP68 water and dust resistance, along with Face ID, Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection. For buyers willing to use exchange and bank offers, Flipkart’s End of Season Sale presents an opportunity to own a high-end iPhone at a significantly reduced price.
Realme has officially confirmed that the Realme 16 Pro series will be launching in India soon, marking the next major addition to its popular number series. The lineup is expected to include two models—the Realme 16 Pro and the Realme 16 Pro+—which will succeed the Realme 15 Pro 5G launched in July. Interestingly, the previous generation did not include a Pro+ variant, making this the first time the brand is expanding the “Pro” lineup with an additional premium model.
A teaser shared by Realme reveals a slim device featuring a golden middle frame and a subtly raised rear camera module, offering an early look at the design language of the Realme 16 Pro series. Certification listings for the Realme 16 Pro, appearing with model number RMX5121 on China’s TENAA and MIIT platforms, show a flat display on the front and a square-shaped camera module with rounded edges positioned on the top-left corner on the back panel. These images suggest a refined yet understated aesthetic approach.
The Realme 16 Pro is expected to feature a 6.78-inch OLED display with a sharp 1.5K resolution and a smooth 144Hz refresh rate. It is likely to run on a 2.5GHz processor paired with Realme UI 7 based on Android 16. Camera upgrades appear to be a major focus, with the device reportedly featuring a 200MP primary rear camera and a 50MP front camera. The smartphone is also rumoured to include a massive 7,000mAh battery, complemented by 80W fast charging support, making it one of the larger battery capacities in the segment. Additional features may include an in-display fingerprint sensor, an IR blaster, and configuration options offering up to 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage. The device is expected to come in grey, gold, and purple colour options, weighing approximately 192g and measuring around 7.75mm in thickness.
Meanwhile, the Realme 16 Pro+ is anticipated to follow in the footsteps of the Realme 14 Pro+ 5G. Expected to carry the model number RMX5131, this Pro+ variant may share several specifications with the standard Pro model but come in new colour options such as Camellia Pink, Master Gold, and Master Grey. Although Realme has not yet revealed all the details, further specifications, pricing, and availability information are expected to be announced as the launch date approaches. With promising upgrades in design, performance, and camera capabilities, the Realme 16 Pro series is set to draw significant attention in the Indian smartphone market.
