iPhone shipments in India fell 50% last quarter, but that's OK says Canalys

From Samsung and Xiaomi each ship record-high 10 million smartphones to India in Q2 2018:

“Volume is not the only strategy in India,” said Canalys Research Manager Rushabh Doshi. “Samsung and Xiaomi often distract from the opportunities that India has to offer smaller and leaner smartphone vendors looking for additional business opportunities. The climate is right for businesses to realign and re-enter the market. Apple’s iPhone shipments to India fell by about 50% in Q2 2018. But Apple’s paring back of distributor partners and move to a ‘brand-first, volume-next’ strategy will reap rewards as it will ensure better margin per device. Getting priorities right will be important to smartphone vendors, and it will be a choice between profitability and volume growth.”

My take: If it’s a choice between profitability and volume growth, I think we know what Apple will do.