Apple will reportedly manufacture its entire iPhone 17 series in India, with production spread across five plants operated by Foxconn and the Tata Group. This is the first time that all models of a new iPhone will be assembled in India for export to the United States. Tata’s new factories in Tamil Nadu and near Bengaluru airport will play an important role, and within two years, the company is expected to handle nearly half of India’s total iPhone output, reports Bloomberg.
The move comes amid intensifying trade tensions between the US and China, as the Trump administration continues to impose tariffs on goods imported from China. For Apple, shifting large portions of production to India provides a way to avoid tariff-related costs while reducing its dependence on Chinese factories, which have historically accounted for the majority of iPhone output.
The expansion of iPhone production in India is also a reflection of the tech titan’s growing confidence in the country’s industrial capabilities. Foxconn (Apple’s biggest manufacturing partner) has already established significant operations in India. In the first five months of this year, Foxconn alone exported iPhones worth $4.4 billion from India to the United States. Between April and July, India’s total iPhone exports touched around $7.5 billion, almost half of what the country shipped during the entire previous financial year. In the fiscal year ending March 2025, the company reportedly produced around $22 billion worth of iPhones in India (60% up from the previous year). At the same time, Tata Group (a relatively newer entrant to Apple’s supply chain) has also become a crucial player.
The expansion across five plants also aligns with the Indian government’s push to transform the country into a global manufacturing hub through its ‘Make in India’ initiative. And with the iPhone 17 set to launch later this year, consumers in the US will be able to purchase devices assembled in India from day one.
However, despite reducing its dependency on China, the current US administration might not be pleased with Apple’s latest move. Actually, in May 2025, President Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Apple products if the company continued manufacturing iPhones outside the US (including in India). Trump stated that he had personally urged Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt expansion in India, explaining that the US government does not support Apple building factories there, as India is already doing well on its own.
More recently, President Trump announced that a 50% tariff would be imposed on all goods imported from India starting August 27. This measure comes on top of the existing 10% baseline import duty on all US imports. In response to increasing pressure from the US government, the Tim Cook–led company recently pledged an additional $100 billion investment in domestic manufacturing, raising its total US commitment to $600 billion.
