India could build all US-bound iPhones by end 2026
All US-bound iPhones could be manufactured in India by the end of next year.
Financial Times reports that Apple is expediting its iPhone supply chain diversification away from China amidst the trade war. To avoid the staggering tariffs that the Trump administration has slapped on China, Apple reportedly wants all US-bound iPhones to be assembled in India by the end of 2026.
According to a Bloomberg report last year, Apple builds 1 out of 7 iPhones in India. With this renewed pivoting, Apple has to double its current iPhone production capacity in India to meet its goal.
Apple has been shifting its iPhone production away from China since 2020. In 2023, Apple crossed the US$7 billion production milestone in India. An Indian government official shared that Apple aimed to increase iPhone production in the country to over US$40 billion by 2028.
Following the iPhone 16 Pro launch in September 2024, Apple started assembling the flagship models for the first time in India. An Indian factory is also believed to have started early manufacturing work for the iPhone 17.
While Apple obtained a temporary exemption for most of its products from the tariffs on China, the Trump administration has said that these exemptions are temporary. Given the unpredictable nature of President Trump, Apple will want to prepare itself for all possibilities.
Source: Financial Times via MacRumors
