Is the “i” in iPhone going to stand for made in India? According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is amping up its flagship smartphone production in India. For the first time in the company’s history, an entire new range of iPhones will be manufactured in local factories based in India.
Made in India, including iPhone 17
This expansion into India-based manufacturing will see all versions, including the high-end PRO models, being made from scratch. When you’re in line to bag the newest iPhone 17, which launches in September, your brand-new phone will flash a ‘Made in India’ tag. The lineup of the latest generation of smartphones will feature the usual iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max models.
Besides these usual suspects, India will also manufacture Apple’s new iPhone 17e from its budget-friendly range of iPhones. The exact date is unknown, but it should roll out sometime in 2026. Production of the iPhone 18 in India is also under discussion, Bloomberg reports. Production will also kick off at the newly opened Tata Group plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, and Foxconn’s facilities near Bangalore airport.
Will this mean Indian users can buy iPhones at cheaper prices?
Not necessarily. While Apple has cut down its production costs by moving to India, import duties, taxes, and supply chain costs affect he final price of iPhones in India. This makes buying an iPhone still more expensive in India than it is in the US or Dubai.
The move is part of Apple’s strategy to avoid higher tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Chinese products. The tech giants have already shifted a large chunk of iPhone supply for the US from China to India to meet the demands of the American market. In 2025 alone, Indian-made iPhones account for about 25 to 30 per cent of iPhone’s global shipments.