Apple Aims To Build Most iPhones For US In India By End Of 2026
Apple Inc. aims to import most of the iPhones it sells in the US from India by the end of next year, accelerating a shift beyond China to mitigate risks related to tariffs and geopolitical tensions.
The goal means Apple will need to roughly double its iPhone output in India, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified discussing internal plans. Apple sells more than 60 million iPhones a year in the US.
The plan is the latest sign of Apple and its suppliers accelerating a pivot to India from China, a process it began when harsh Covid lockdowns hurt production at its largest plant. Tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump as well as Beijing-Washington tensions are prompting Apple to amplify that effort.
Apple representatives in India didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The Financial Times reported earlier Apple's goal was to source all its US-sold iPhones from India by the of 2026. Bloomberg News previously reported Apple's plan to increasingly prioritize iPhones from the India supply chain for its US customers.
The Cupertino, California-based company assembled $22 billion worth of iPhones in India in the 12 months ended March, increasing production by nearly 60% over the previous year, Bloomberg reported this month. Apple now makes 20%, or one in five, of iPhones in the South Asian country, while China remains its biggest production base by far.
The bulk of India-made iPhones are assembled at Foxconn Technology Group's factory in southern India. Tata Group's electronics manufacturing arm, which bought Wistron Corp.'s local business and runs Pegatron Corp.'s operations in India, is also a key supplier.
Of the total India production, Apple exported 1.5 trillion rupees ($17.5 billion) in iPhones from the region in the fiscal year through March 2025, the nation's technology minister said on April 8.
Shipments of iPhones from India to the US accelerated after Trump announced his plans for the so-called “reciprocal” tariffs in February. Apple's average India production and exports surged all through the fiscal year to March.
The Trump administration earlier this month exempted electronics goods including smartphones and computers from its reciprocal tariffs. That's good news for companies such as Apple, though the reprieve doesn't appear to extend to Trump's separate 20% duty on China, applied to pressure Beijing to crack down on fentanyl.
This also means iPhones made in India won't attract any duties as of now. Barring the exceptions made April 11, Trump's cumulative levies on China remain at 145%, and will likely force companies such as Apple to intensify their supply chain shift.
Apple now assembles its entire iPhone range in India, including the more expensive titanium Pro models. Its manufacturing success in the world's most populous nation is also helped by state subsidies tied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambition to turn the country into a manufacturing hub.
-
Midterm Rally Lasted A Day. The Hard Reality Of A Divided US May Last Two Years | Opinion
Between a contested AI boom, a debt ceiling that arrives in 2027 and a president with every incentive to act alone, the next two years may prove more volatile than the first day's rally suggests.
-
Blue Wave Will Derail the AI Trade but Won't Dismantle the AI Era | Unhedged Position
The Democrats' sweep of the US Congress will see politics collide with economic forces both over the long and short term.
-
It's Time To Take The GST Council's Bet On Trust Global
Payment records can prove India's services exports, and clear, proportionate rules can bring foreign digital sellers into the tax net.
-
Opinion | India at 38: From Innovation Overperformer to Innovation Powerhouse
India now has 453 VC-backed deep science startups, 18 of them late-stage, after 117 percent growth since 2020. Laurus Labs, at USD 9.3 billion, is the most valuable deep science company in any middle-income economy outside China.
-
Navigating Energy Crossroads: S Jaishankar's Call For Diversified Supply Chains At G20 Ministerial Meeting
As geopolitical fault lines continue to test maritime trade routes and commodity flows, Jaishankar's message remains pertinent: true economic resilience requires open markets, protected transit lines, and a genuine commitment to multilateral cooperation rather than coercion.
-
Indians Are Travelling, But Not Every Journey Is A Holiday | The Week In Whys
Pilgrims, patients and working women are the real travellers, and the system hasn't quite caught up with them.
-
Getting To Work Costs Women More | The Reason Why
It is not just about women paying more than men. It is about women paying much more in cities than in villages.
-
AI Bias In Investing Cannot Be Eliminated, But It Can Be Governed
Framing is a particularly important example as identical financial information presented in terms of gains rather than losses can lead an LLM to reach a different assessment.
-
Joining The Dots | Dark Skies, Steady Diya: Why Hope Holds This Diwali
With war, a weak rupee and foreign outflows weighing on sentiment, policymakers at the NDTV World Summit and market veterans at NDTV Profit Ignite: Diwali Edition offered the same advice: stay invested and filter out the noise.
