Apple’s supplier Foxconn has begun importing components from China to India for the assembly of the company’s upcoming iPhone 17, according to a report by the Economic Times citing customs data. The components imported so far could be meant for trial production, given that their volume is a fraction of what it was for older iPhone models.
The customs data shows that various components and sub-assemblies like display assemblies, cover glass, mechanical housings, and integrated rear camera modules began arriving in the country last month. In fact, components for the iPhone 17 made up about 10% of the total imports Foxconn brought from China to India in June. The majority of the components imported by the company that month were for iPhone 16 and iPhone 14 variants, which it plans to sell in higher numbers during the festive season sale in India.
iPhone 17 trial production to begin this month
The ET report notes that trial production for the iPhone 17 will begin this month, while mass production is expected to start in August ahead of the flagship phone’s launch in September. The Cupertino-based tech giant plans to manufacture the iPhone 17 in India and China simultaneously from day one, as India becomes a strategic export hub for the company, especially for models sent to the US market.
Notably, with the high tariffs applied by the Donald Trump administration on China, Apple is ramping up its iPhone production in India and is planning to entirely shift its sourcing of iPhones for the US market from China to India by 2026, even as the US government mounts pressure to manufacture these phones in the home country.
iPhone exports from India to the US grew by 219% year-on-year in March, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data cited by ET.
Reportedly, Apple has been gradually narrowing the gap between iPhone production in China and India. iPhone 14 assembly began in India six weeks after it started in China, but for the iPhone 15, manufacturing commenced almost simultaneously in both countries.
India participated in Apple’s new product introduction (NPI) process for the iPhone 16 variants in 2024, marking the end of exclusivity for China. The report states that Apple plans to continue on that trajectory for the upcoming iPhone 17 variants.
