1 in 4 iPhones are now made in India as Apple expands local production

For years, Apple’s iPhones were synonymous with factories in China. That equation is now shifting. India has now become one of Apple’s most important manufacturing hubs, with the country now producing roughly one in four iPhones globally.

According to a new report by Bloomberg, Apple assembled around 55 million iPhones in India in 2025, a sharp jump from 36 million units the previous year. That represents a 53 per cent increase in production, pushing India’s share of Apple’s global output to about 25 per cent.

ALSO READ: 5 genuinely useful features iPhone received this year for free

It is a significant milestone for Apple’s supply chain strategy. The company is estimated to produce between 220 and 230 million iPhones worldwide each year, meaning India is no longer just an auxiliary assembly base but a central pillar of Apple’s global manufacturing footprint.

India becomes Apple’s second manufacturing engine

The shift is partly geopolitical. The trade tensions between the US and China in 2025 accelerated Apple’s plans to diversify production beyond its traditional Chinese manufacturing base.

Devices intended for global markets, particularly the US, are increasingly being assembled in India. The country’s government has actively encouraged this transition through its production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, which offers subsidies to electronics manufacturers to offset some of the structural cost disadvantages of operating in India.

Even so, India is not yet the cheapest place to assemble electronics. Industry analysts still point out that manufacturing costs remain higher than in long-established hubs such as China and Vietnam.

With the current smartphone PLI incentives set to expire on March 31, companies including Apple and Samsung are reportedly in discussions with the Indian government about a new round of export-focused incentives.

The iPhone 17 lineup now assembled locally

Perhaps the clearest sign of India’s growing importance is what Apple is now building there. The company is reportedly assembling the entire iPhone 17 lineup in India, including the premium iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. This is a significant change compared to earlier years when India primarily handled older or lower-volume devices.

Apple’s local manufacturing ecosystem now includes partners such as Foxconn, Tata Electronics, and Pegatron, which also continue to produce earlier models like the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 for both domestic sales and global exports.

Apple is also expanding deeper into the local supply chain. Component manufacturing for lithium-ion batteries, device enclosures, and accessories such as AirPods is gradually being localised as well.

At the same time, India is becoming more than just a factory floor for Apple. It is also emerging as a major consumer market. The company’s sales in the country have already crossed $9 billion, and Apple has begun expanding its retail footprint while reportedly preparing to launch Apple Pay in India later this year.

For Apple, China remains its largest manufacturing base by a wide margin, but India is increasingly positioned as the company’s second major production engine for the iPhone.

If the current trajectory continues, the label “Designed in California, Made in India” may soon appear on a far larger share of the world’s iPhones.