Goodbye China, Hello India: The Rise of the Made-in-India iPhone!

Made-in-India iPhone: The new Apple iPhone 15 series has been launched in India and other countries. You can pre-book from September 15 and the sale will start from September 22.

Apple is looking to diversify its manufacturing base and reduce its dependency on China, due to the rising tensions between the US and China, along with the supply chain disruptions during the COVID pandemic.

Though the majority of iPhone 15s will still be made in China, it would be the first time the latest generation, India-assembled device is available on the first day of worldwide sales, removing the usual delay between the global and Indian launch.

However, there might be some delays with the India-made iPhone 15 because of unexpected logistics bottlenecks.

Apple has increased iPhone production in India, assembling more than $7 billion worth in FY 2022.

History of Made-in-India iPhones

This is not the first time, the history of iPhones being made in India goes back to 2017.

In 2017, the first iPhone assembled in India was the iPhone SE (first generation). Since then, Apple has been expanding its operations in India, leading up to the launch of the iPhone 15. What followed next after 2017, was the production of the iPhone 6s in 2018 followed by the iPhone 7, and other models subsequently.

However, it’s important to note that these were older iPhone models, not new ones. So, Apple making the iPhone 15 in India is a significant development.

Before the iPhone 14, iPhone assembly in India lagged production by 6-9 months from those sets assembled in China. But in 2022, this delay was drastically reduced to just a few weeks, and by the end of March, Apple had increased the proportion of iPhones it assembles in India to 7%.

This is just the beginning, as Apple aims to increase the target of reaching up to 25% of its production in India from about 5%-7% now. 

Apple began iPhone 15 production at Foxconn Technology Group’s factory in Tamil Nadu state last month. Other suppliers of Apple in India, like Pegatron Corp. and a Wistron Corp. factory soon to be acquired by the Tata Group, will also likely start assembling the iPhone 15 soon.

Apple now allows the new iPhone 15 Pro models to use India’s homegrown GPS alternative called NavIC. This is the first time any iPhone has this feature. But please note that regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models don’t support NavIC.

Are there any benefits for Indian consumers from the Made in India iPhone?

As for the benefits to Indian consumers, in the short term, we can’t expect lower iPhone prices just because they’re made in India. 

This didn’t even happen with previous iPhone models like the iPhone 7, iPhone SE, iPhone XR, or iPhone 12. The prices for the iPhone 15 series in India are still quite high. We won, but at what cost?

Here are the IPhone 15 series Prices in India: 

iPhone 15 – starting at Rs. 79,900 

iPhone 15 Plus – starting at Rs. 89,900 

iPhone 15 Pro – starting at Rs. 1,34,900 

iPhone 15 Pro Max – starting at Rs. 1,59,900 

In comparison, here are the iPhone 15 series prices in the US:

iPhone 15 – $799 onwards (approx. ₹66,208)

iPhone 15 Plus – $899 onwards (approx. ₹74,495)

iPhone 15 Pro – $999 onwards (around ₹82,781) 

iPhone 15 Pro Max – $1199 onwards (around ₹99,354)

Apple sees India as an important market both for selling its products and as a production hub for its gadgets in the long run. 

So, are you planning to buy the new iPhone 15?

Written By Shivani Singh

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