iPhone 17 to Be Assembled in India as Apple Aims to Further Diversify Supply Chain

Introductory production on the standard iPhone 17 will start in India in the second half of 2025, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo says that new product introduction (NPI) for the ‌iPhone 17‌ will happen in India, marking the first time that Apple begins development of a new iPhone outside of China.

apple india
Apple will opt to assemble the standard ‌iPhone 17‌ in India because it has a "lower difficulty" design that will minimize risk. Apple has been manufacturing older iPhones and other devices in India since for several years now in an effort to move more of its manufacturing out of China. Apple has slowly started giving factories in India more responsibility, and began ‌iPhone‌ 14 production in the country just a few weeks after the device launched in September 2022. ‌iPhone‌ 15 production started even earlier, with factories in the country assembling the base ‌iPhone‌ 15 model prior to launch, but assembly still started in China first.

Apple works with Foxconn, Pegatron, and Tata (new owner of Wistron) to manufacture iPhones in India, with Foxconn handling 75 to 80 percent of the device assembly. Foxconn has invested more than $500 million in India to ramp up its manufacturing capabilities.

As of now, Kuo believes that 12 to 14 percent of global ‌iPhone‌ shipments are made in India, with that proportion to increase to 20 to 25 percent by 2024. In addition to allowing Apple to move manufacturing away from China, increasing production in India provides Apple with an opportunity to strengthen its relationship with the Indian government. India is a key market for Apple due to growing demand for Apple products in the country.

Apple in 2023 opened its first retail stores in Mumbai, but online sales have been available in India since 2020.

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 Wi-Fi Speeds: New Study Reveals the Winner

Tuesday November 18, 2025 10:53 am PST by
A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple's custom-designed N1 chip. The study was conducted by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app. It said the results are based on global, crowdsourced Speedtest user data...
macbook black friday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Tuesday November 18, 2025 7:32 am PST by
We're getting closer to Black Friday, which lands next week on Friday, November 28. In the lead-up to the shopping holiday, we're tracking a few lowest-ever prices on Apple's most popular Macs, including the M4 MacBook Air and brand new M5 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
Magic Keyboard Touch ID Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for 140W USB-C Power Adapter, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad

Tuesday November 18, 2025 1:05 pm PST by
Apple today released updated firmware for several accessories, including the 140W USB-C Power Adapter, the Magic Trackpad 2, the Magic Trackpad USB-C, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad. There is no word on what's included in the updated firmware at this time, but it could offer performance improvements and security updates. Accessory...
watchos 26 workout app

Apple Watch Users Claim Workout App Is Now Worse in Every Way

Thursday November 20, 2025 7:01 am PST by
Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating. When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a ...

Top Rated Comments

Zc456 Avatar
27 months ago
Honestly, the sole dependency on a single country to manufacture everything was just stupid to begin with.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jhonjhon236 Avatar
27 months ago

Any rumors on what features will be in the iPhone 17? Will it be foldable?
It will fold if you try hard enough.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
27 months ago
I wish Apple could do the same in the U.S. of A.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdavid_rp Avatar
27 months ago

They had no choice. The way relations are between certain countries… they have to work on redundancy in where their devices are manufactured.

I’d guess in 10 to 20 years time, robotics and AI will have progressed that much further that you could automate pretty much all of this. Then it will come to where the energy is cheapest to run operations, the distance for transport, where the raw resources are coming from. It will not be about people anymore.
I think the actual system is already focused on the benefits and not the people
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
27 months ago

Honestly, the sole dependency on a single country to manufacture everything was just stupid to begin with.
But it happened with tech time and time again… remember when everything used to be made in Japan… then it was made in China.. and now increasingly I see other countries appear… I think it’s at a point now where not one country will dominate as much as has happened in the past 20 to 40 years.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
27 months ago

In the early days they had no choice. China basically has megacities based around electronics component industrial manufacturing and assembly. They were the only place to get that stuff. Still are. Only thing that appears to be changing is more final assembly.
“We” (the US and Europe) made China what it is today, and back in the 89s when it started - it was deemed a good idea by the political forces… and we would not be where we are today (from a technology perspective) if it hadn’t been that way…
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)