India’s manufacturing share of iPhones, depending on estimates, ranged between 10% to 20% at the end of 2024.
There are reports that Apple intends to shift manufacturing of all US-bound iPhones, from China to India. That means, around 60 million more iPhones may be made in India, destined specifically for the US — this, in addition to iPhones already made here for domestic consumption, and exports. If Apple’s manufacturing partners in India are able to pull this off, it’ll be nothing short of a coup, say analysts.
There are three distinct yet overlapping pieces that need to come together. The current iPhone manufacturing capacity in India with headroom for increasing local consumption and exports; investments lined-up by Apple and its partners Foxconn as well as Tata Electronics to add more production capacity; and sourcing of raw materials for which any production facility still largely relies on China.