iPhone 17 will be assembled in India: Ming-Chi Kuo; Know Why?

In recent years, Apple has been increasing efforts to strengthen its presence in the Indian smartphone market. It also leveraged the 'Make in India' initiative by setting up manufacturing of not only older iPhones but also newer models, such as the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15, in the country. And now, the Cupertino-based tech giant is reportedly taking another giant step to increase its production capacity in India by starting the new product introduction (NPI) of the iPhone 17 in the second half of 2025. Let's take a look a closer look.

iPhone 17 to be Assembled in India

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), Apple could begin the introduction of the new iPhone 17 product in India, marking the first time that the company will carry out the development of an iPhone outside of China. For those who don't know, NPI is an exhaustive process of a product from the ideation stage to production for mass markets. Until now, Apple has ceded responsibility for this process only to its plants in China, but not anymore.

The report further claims that 12 to 14 per cent of iPhones shipped globally are manufactured in India. The decision to assemble the iPhone 17 in India was made due to the smartphone's "lower difficulty design" that will minimize risk during the development process.

This move comes after Tata Group recently became the first Indian company to manufacture iPhones after acquiring the Wistrom plant near Bengaluru for approximately $125 million. This could increase the share of iPhones made in India to 20-25 per cent by 2024.

After this acquisition, "Apple can strengthen its relationship with the Indian government. This move will benefit future sales of iPhones and other products in India and is critical to Apple's growth over the next decade", Kuo said.

In recent years, Apple has been trying to diversify its supply chain and move a significant portion of its production out of China. This step is perhaps due to strict COVID-19 restrictions in China last year that suspended Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant, delaying manufacturing of the iPhone 14 Pro models and ultimately causing consumers to face delays during a busy Christmas season.