Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn reportedly already started assembling the upcoming iPhone 15 in India. This marks the first time a yet-to-launch iPhone is being produced outside of China.
Last year, iPhone 14 production started in India within a month of the phone going on sale.
‘Made in India’ iPhone 15 enters production
Foxconn is manufacturing the iPhone 15 units at its plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. While mass production reportedly already began, deliveries will start only a few weeks after the device goes on sale. Still, this should significantly reduce the iPhone production gap between China and India, which is Apple’s target for the year.
Although Foxconn will assemble the iPhone 15 in India, the internal components will come from China. Thus, Bloomberg says the scale of the company’s production will depend on the availability of components. Due to this, Apple’s suppliers are unsure about meeting the production goal.
Apple’s other two suppliers — Pegatron and Wistron — will also start assembling the iPhone 15 soon, too.
Apart from meeting local demand in India, products produced there will be exported to nearby countries. Reportedly, iPhones made in India account for 7% of the total supply as of March 2023.
Apple currently only assembles the non-Pro iPhone in India. The Pro models are imported into the country. Due to this, they are subjected to high taxes, making them exorbitantly expensive.
Apple could announce iPhone 15 on September 12
A rumor suggests Apple could announce the iPhone 15 on September 12. With the new iPhones less than a month from launch, it’s not surprising to see them going into mass production now.
In recent years, India has become an important production hub and market for Apple. Just a few years ago, there was a gap of at least six months to a year before the latest iPhone’s production started in India.
