Made-in-India iPhone 14 may come to Indian stores in the next few weeks. According to multiple news sources, American tech giant, Apple, has reportedly started manufacturing its new flagship iPhone 14 smartphone in India.
The Cupertino-based company launched its newest 2022 iPhone lineup at its 'Far Out' event on September 7. The event unveiled four variants of the new iPhone 14 series: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Plus.
Sources have revealed that the company has started assembling its new iPhone 14 devices at Foxconn's Sriperumbudur facility on the outskirts of Chennai. Apple started manufacturing iPhones in India in 2017 with the iPhone SE and it has since ramped up production for other iPhones like the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.
In a statement to PTI, Apple said, "We’re excited to be manufacturing iPhone 14 in India. The new iPhone 14 lineup introduces groundbreaking new technologies and important safety capabilities."
It is understood that Apple is looking to shift its manufacturing capabilities from China to other south-asian countries like Vietnam and India among others
. Apple currently has three manufacturing partners in Wistron, Foxconn, and Pegatron making its devices in India. Apple's interest in manufacturing iPhones in India is in direct response to the Indian government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme.
The company is expected to save about 20 per cent on import duties and with India being the world's second-biggest smartphone market after China, it makes sense for Apple to move its manufacturing priorities to the country.
According to Reuters, J.P. Morgan analysts believe Apple wants to shift 25% of global iPhone production to India by 2025. That percentage is currently around 5%. Bloomberg also recently reported that Indian conglomerate Tata Group is in talks with Wistron about forming a joint venture to assemble iPhones.