India on Course to Be Among First iPhone 15 Launch Markets

Apple aims this year to release the iPhone 15 in India at the same time as its global launch in mid-September, based on local reports.

iPhone 15 Colors Mock 2 Feature
According to sources who spoke to The Economic Times, Apple is on course to narrow the lag between the ‌iPhone‌'s global launch to a few days, if not a achieve a simultaneous reveal in India.

In recent years, initial batches of new iPhones have exclusively been made in China, before India comes on stream gradually in the following months. In 2022, for example, Foxconn's Chennai facility began production of the ‌iPhone‌ 14 ten days after the global launch, but it took around a month for the locally made iPhones to be available in the country.

This year locally made ‌iPhone‌ 15 models will initially cater to the Indian market exclusively, but exports to Europe and the U.S. are expected to begin after December. The shift signals the company's gradual progress in diversifying its supply chain away from China, with Apple now the largest smartphone exporter in India.

Late last month, a device presumed to be an ‌iPhone‌ 15 model was spotted in India's regulatory database. A similar thing happened around the same time last year: Just a few weeks before the announcement of the ‌‌iPhone‌ 14‌ lineup, a single ‌iPhone‌ 14 model was spotted in the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) database that turned out to be the standard ‌‌iPhone‌ 14‌ model built for "other countries and regions." New Apple devices being spotted in global regulatory databases often indicates that launch is soon to follow.

Apple has raised its sales target by almost 100% year-on-year for over 200 Premium Reseller stores in India in the second and third quarters, according to The Economic Times. Apple CEO Tim Cook in his latest earnings call said that the company broke revenue records in the country and saw sales grow by double digits in what is the third largest smartphone market in the world.

Apple is planning to announce the ‌‌iPhone‌ 15‌ lineup at its "Wonderlust" event on Tuesday, September 12, with the devices likely launching a few days after.

Tag: India

Popular Stories

apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...

Top Rated Comments

Mr. Dee Avatar
29 months ago
I'm super happy for India coming online and helping Apple diversify the supply chain. I would like to see this spread across the world, with Europe, different parts of Asia, South America, Africa having their own manufacturing hubs, creating local jobs and building economies.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fatTribble Avatar
29 months ago
It’s great that Apple is eliminating a single point of failure
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dominiongamma Avatar
29 months ago

I wish we’d bring manufacturing back to America. I hate that we rely so heavily on imported goods.
Yeah with higher cost iPhones…
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
svish Avatar
29 months ago
Glad to see production starting immediately in India. Would like to see Pro models also being manufacturerd/assembled in India
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
StudioMacs Avatar
29 months ago

Yeah with higher cost iPhones…
And longer manufacturing timelines.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)