Apple has begun production of the iPhone 13 in India. Cupertino’s newest iPhone is being manufactured in India by Foxconn at its plant in southern Tamil Nadu state. In India, Foxconn also manufactures the iPhone 12 and iPhone 11. Local assembly should allow Apple to save money on import duties and have tighter control over supply while also accelerating iPhone market availability in the world’s fastest growing smartphone market.
The decision to manufacture the iPhone 13 in the country is a direct response to the government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, which has given new impetus to domestic smartphone manufacturing (and assembly) in the country. There’s also the Sino-US issue to consider. With the looming unrest in China, it is unsurprising that Apple, a US company, is pushing to shift more manufacturing outside of China.
The iPhone 13 starts at Rs 79,900 for a version with 128GB storage going all the way to Rs 1,09,900 for the top-end model with 512GB storage. Apple started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017 with the first generation iPhone SE. The world’s second largest iPhone manufacturer, Pegatron, will soon start local assembly of the iPhone 12 as well, ramping up production further.
