India To See Local Manufacturing Of iPhone 16 Pro Models As Apple Shifts Production

Apple Inc. will be manufacturing Pro and Pro Max of its upcoming iPhone 16 series in India for the first time in collaboration with its partner, Foxconn. Through this, Apple will be looking to increase its manufacturing presence in the country as part of its plan to diversify its production beyond China. As per the report of CNBC, Foxconn will soon start the ‘new product introduction’ (NPI) process for the pro models of iPhone 16 and will enter the mass production stage once the phone is launched.

Moneycontrol quoted a source close to the matter as saying, “Every year, Apple tries to improve its manufacturing capacity with partners in India. Production of Pro models is something that has been considered for the last few years. This year, Apple will manufacture the Pro and Pro Max models in India. Certainly, the iPhone 16 Pro models assembled in India will be available in the country after launch.”

If sources are to be believed, Foxconn, one of the companies that makes iPhones for Apple, may soon start a New Product Introduction (NPI) in its Tamil Nadu plant. It will be followed by the production at large scale. It is believed that due to the high manufacturing capacity of Foxconn, Apple prefers giving the company the first chance to make new products.

As per the media reports, iPhone 16 may be imported from abroad to be sold in India, initially. The iPhone 16 manufactured in India will start being available here within this financial year. Apple Inc. anticipated high demand for its iPhone 16 series which is expected to launch in September. The Cupertino-based company is preparing 90 million units of iPhone 16 devices for 2024 alone, 10 per cent higher than the iPhone 15 series. Apple has a 6 per cent share of India’s smartphone market. Apple shipped over 10 million iPhones in 2023 in India.

Last year, when Apple started manufacturing the iPhone 15 in India, it was also ensured that the same model would be available to Indian customers on the very first day of the global sale. iPhone 15 Pro was also manufactured in India.