Apple to start manufacturing iPhone Pro in India, report claims

The first iPhone Pro models to be made in India could be coming as soon as September or October this year.

According to Bloomberg, Apple plans to start manufacturing iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models in India “as close to the global debut as possible.” This could mean a few weeks after launch, which is expected in early September.

This probably won’t mean much for the consumers. The new iPhones will be assembled by Foxconn, the same company that’s been Apple’s key manufacturing partner for the iPhone for more than a decade. Foxconn, which operates primarily in China, will build the new iPhone Pro models in its factory in India’s southernmost state, Tamil Nadu.

A big chunk of iPhone production already resides in India — in April, Bloomberg claimed that one in seven iPhones are built there — mostly by China’s Foxconn and Taiwan’s Pegatron corporations. But the company reportedly only had its “regular” iPhone models assembled in India; if this new report is accurate, it would be the first time the iPhone Pro models have been made in the country.

The move is an important one for Apple, though. The company plans to build all of the iPhones it sells in India locally to avoid import duties. This should be achieved by the end of 2024, Bloomberg claims.