Apple supplier Foxconn begins iPhone 15 production in India
- A Foxconn Technology Group plant in Sriperumbudur is preparing to deliver the newest devices only weeks after they start shipping from factories in China
- Before the iPhone 14, Apple had only a sliver of its iPhone assembly in India, which lagged China output by six to nine months
Before the iPhone 14, Apple had only a sliver of its iPhone assembly in India, which lagged China output by six to nine months. That delay was drastically reduced last year, and Apple produced 7 per cent of its iPhones in India at the end of March. The goal this year is to move closer to parity on shipment timing from India and China, though suppliers are not yet certain they will achieve it, the people said, asking not to be named as the information is not public.
The scale of India production for the iPhone 15 will depend on the ready availability of components, which are largely imported, and the smooth ramp-up of production lines at the Foxconn factory outside Chennai.
The new iPhone, likely to be announced on September 12, promises to be the biggest update to the device in three years. It will include major upgrades to the camera system across the range, and the Pro models will gain an improved 3-nanometre A16 processor. The new family of handsets is critical to reviving flagging sales. Apple this month reported its third straight quarter of declining sales, weighed down by tepid consumer demand in key markets like the US, China and Europe.
Other Apple suppliers in India – Pegatron and a Wistron factory that is being acquired by the Tata Group – will also soon assemble the iPhone 15, the people said.