Apple steps up iPhone production in India amid US-China trade tensions

As US-China trade tensions escalate, Apple is rapidly shifting its iPhone production to India, with new factories starting up and record shipments already underway

As global tensions between the US and China escalate, Apple is speeding up its plans to relocate its iPhone manufacturing base from China to India. In India, the tech giant has opened new plants and shipments are already underway.

 

Sources told Reuters that the company is preparing to make India a central hub for iPhone production, especially for the US market.

 

A new iPhone assembly plant operated by Tata Electronics has recently begun production in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. The factory is currently assembling older iPhone models on a single line, according to one source familiar with the matter.

 

A second facility — a $2.6 billion plant being built by Foxconn, Apple’s long-time manufacturing partner from Taiwan — is nearing operational readiness in Bengaluru. According to four sources, including a government official, this plant will begin assembling iPhones on one line in the coming days. One source added that the facility is designed to produce 300 to 500 iPhone units per hour, with plans to manufacture the upcoming iPhone 16 and 16e models.

 

The Foxconn plant in Bengaluru is expected to be completed by December 2027, eventually creating up to 50,000 jobs, another source confirmed.