 "Apple’s $22 bn pivot to India: iPhone manufacturing surges as trade winds shift from China")
Apple has sharply accelerated its iPhone production in India, assembling devices worth an estimated $22 billion in the 12 months ending March 2025— a 60 per cent jump over the previous year. The ramp-up comes amid a deepening shift in the tech giant’s global supply chain away from China.
Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that India now accounts for one in every five iPhones made globally. The $22 billion figure represents the estimated factory gate value of the devices, rather than their retail pricing.
The lion’s share of this production comes from Foxconn’s sprawling facility in southern India, while Tata Group— now controlling former Wistron and Pegatron operations— has emerged as a critical cog in Apple’s India-based supply chain.
Exports rise amid Trump tariffs
India’s tech minister confirmed earlier this month that Apple exported Rs 1.5 trillion ($17.4 billion) worth of iPhones from the country in the past fiscal year. Industry insiders say shipments to the US picked up noticeably after President Donald Trump announced “reciprocal” tariffs in February, prompting Apple to fast-track its India exports.
While electronics, including smartphones, were exempted from those tariffs in a recent announcement, the broader levies on China — now totalling 145 per cent — remain intact. Trump’s separate 20 per cent duty on Chinese imports, aimed at pressuring Beijing over fentanyl, still applies.
For Apple, this makes India a relatively safe harbour. Devices made in India currently do not attract US duties, and analysts expect the company to increasingly rely on its Indian production lines to serve American consumers.
The long road from China
Despite the gains, Apple remains deeply entangled in China. The company depends on roughly 200 suppliers and a highly integrated ecosystem honed over decades. Even Apple CEO Tim Cook has acknowledged China’s manufacturing edge.
While Trump has long pushed for domestic iPhone production, Apple is unlikely to shift to the US anytime soon due to a lack of suitable facilities and skilled labour.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsA 2022 analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence projected it would take eight years to shift just 10 per cent of Apple’s manufacturing out of the country: a reminder of how entrenched the Chinese supply base remains.
Still, India is proving it can deliver. Apple now assembles its full iPhone range in the country, including premium titanium Pro models. This expansion has been aided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Production-Linked Incentive scheme and fresh $2.7 billion in subsidies aimed at electronics and semiconductor manufacturing.
Apple’s India sales, mostly from iPhones, totalled nearly $8 billion in the last fiscal year. While the company still holds just 8 per cent of India’s smartphone market, it appears to be betting heavily on the country not just as a retail destination, but as a pillar of its global manufacturing future.
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