Apple to Begin iPhone 16 Pro Production in India

Reports state that Apple will begin production of the iPhone 16 Pro model phones alongside the rest of the lineup in India. This would be the first time the company would make this decision ever since it began operations in the country.

Since 2017, Apple has only produced its low-budget phones in India. This includes the iPhone SE, iPhone 11, and iPhone 12, up until last year's iPhone 15. This was reportedly done in a bid to reduce reliance on China.

In anticipation of this, Apple's key partner, Foxconn Technology Group, will reportedly begin assembly of the iPhone 16 lineup in India within weeks of its launch. According to Bloomberg, the company has started training workers in Tamil Nadu state to get the devices ready as soon as possible after launch.

Sources say we might not get the made-in-India iPhone right now, but, not long after the iPhone 16 launch, they should become more common than we expect.

With plans made in 2023 to scale up production in India by 5 fold, production of their Pro model phones in the country sounds logical. According to Bloomberg, Apple assembled $14 billion worth of iPhones in India in the country's fiscal year. This means that between April 2023 and March 2024, India was responsible for as much as 14% of Apple's global output.

Looking back to 2021, the country was reportedly only responsible for 1% of Apple's global production but it very quickly surpassed that to 7% in 2023. Now, they have reportedly doubled those figures.

As per Bloomberg Intelligence, the buildup of India's integration into global supply chains like this is likely to drive growth in the years ahead and potentially help India take over from China as the world’s strongest growth engine.

As things are, Apple still makes most of its phones in China. Over the past years, they have faced some hurdles with operating in India but as time goes on, they might begin to reap the fruit of their diversification attempts.