Apple's India iPhone Production Soars 53%, Hits Quarter of Global Output

A report from Bloomberg said the tech giant makes a quarter of its flagship products in India to avoid tariffs on China.

Apple produces about 220-230 million iPhones annually worldwide, with India's share rising rapidly, primarily due to government supported production‑linked incentives, the report mentioned.

The subsidies have helped offset structural cost disadvantages such as weaker supply chains and logistics challenges compared with China.

The Cupertino-based company now assembles all versions of the iPhone 17 lineup in India, including the Pro and Pro Max models, through suppliers Foxconn Technology Group, Tata Electronics and Pegatron Corp. Older models such as the iPhone 15 and 16 continue to be built locally for domestic sales and export.

Apple is also expanding its retail footprint with store count at six and prepares to launch Apple Pay in India later this year, as sales in the country have surged past $9 billion.

As Apple's five‑year PLI window is scheduled to end in March 2026, the company along with Samsung and others are discussing with New Delhi a new round of incentives to sustain export growth.

Analysts noted that while India has narrowed the cost gap with China and Vietnam, electronics assembly remains more expensive, making government support indispensable to sustain competitiveness.

Apple's iPhone became the most valuable export item from India in 2025 with around $23 billion worth of devices shipped out from factories in the country, mostly to the United States, according to industry data.

Smartphones were India's top export category for the first time, with a total $30.13 billion worth of exports in the January-December period. Apple accounted for 76 per cent of total smartphone exports

- IANS