Key Points

Even amid tariff and trade disputes with the US, India’s smartphone export figure represented a 55 per cent increase -- from Rs 64,500 crore during the same period last fiscal (FY25).

Tech giant Apple's contract manufacturers, Tata Electronics and Foxconn, made up nearly 75 per cent of outbound shipments, contributing over Rs 75,000 crore worth of exports, as per industry sources.

The production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme incentivised the US tech giant to move its manufacturing capabilities into India. Apple has increased production in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, leveraging the PLI scheme while remaining insulated from potential tariff escalations.

The iPhone maker has also dedicated most of its export capacity in the country to supply the US market so far in 2025. India's iPhone shipments to the US have increased significantly, with 78 per cent of domestically assembled iPhones exported there in the first half of 2025 -- up from 53 per cent the previous year.

India's share of US smartphone imports increased to 44 per cent this year, while China's share fell to 25 per cent, down from 61 per cent in mid-2024. The total volume of “Made-in-India” smartphones grew over 240 per cent YoY.

Alongside China and Vietnam, India is now a major player in global electronics manufacturing, with companies shifting production to diversify supply chains.

Samsung and Motorola have also increased their share of US-targeted supply from India, although their shifts are significantly slower and smaller in scale than Apple’s. Motorola, similar to Apple, has its core manufacturing hub in China, whereas Samsung relies mainly on producing its smartphones in Vietnam.

India now has 300 mobile manufacturing units, up from two in 2014. In FY14, 26 per cent of mobile phones sold in India were locally made, which has surged to 99.2 per cent being manufactured domestically, according to government data.

- IANS