Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has provided an update on iPhone production, revealing significant shifts towards India. Kuo predicts that iPhone 17’s New Product Introduction (NPI) will likely commence in India, marking a pivotal change where the phone will be initially manufactured in India rather than China.
In 2023, a notable 12–14% of global iPhone shipments will be produced in India, with Foxconn dominating 75–80% of the iPhone production capacity in the country. The proportion of iPhones made in India is anticipated to surge to 20–25% by 2024.
This shift coincides with a reduction in production scale in China, with Foxconn’s facilities in Zhengzhou and Taiyuan expected to decrease by 35–45% and 75–85%, respectively, by 2024. Luxshare’s growing iPhone order allocation and advancements in production line automation further contribute to this reduction.
The production of the standard iPhone 17 (planned for 2H25) is set to commence in India in 2H24. This marks Apple’s first venture into developing a new iPhone model outside of China, a strategic decision based on the model’s lower design complexity, reducing design risks.
By partnering with Tata Group as an iPhone assembler (Tata has already acquired Wistron’s iPhone production lines in India), Apple aims to strengthen its relationship with the Indian government.
This strategic move is expected to bolster future iPhone and product sales in India, playing a crucial role in Apple’s growth over the next decade.