Apple to Build Entire iPhone 17 Series in India for U.S. Market
Apple is preparing to manufacture all four models of the upcoming iPhone 17 series in India for the U.S. market, marking the first time the company will source its entire new lineup from India at launch, according to multiple reports citing people familiar with the matter. The move is part of Apple’s accelerated push to diversify away from China and reduce exposure to tariff risks as it heads into the September unveiling of the iPhone 17 family.
Apple has expanded production across five facilities in India, including newly opened plants operated by Tata Group in Tamil Nadu and Foxconn near Bengaluru airport, with Tata’s sites expected to handle as much as half of India’s iPhone output within the next two years. Reporting indicates that Apple has already started building all four iPhone 17 variants in India ahead of launch, a first for the company that historically ramped Indian assembly after initial releases.
The shift aligns with Apple’s strategy to fulfill most U.S. iPhone demand from India rather than China amid heightened geopolitical and trade tensions, with the company anticipating a $1.1 billion impact from duties this quarter, Bloomberg reported. Exports of iPhones from India surged to about $7.5 billion between April and July, nearly half of the prior fiscal year’s $17 billion total, reflecting the rapid scale-up in output ahead of the iPhone 17 debut.
Analysts note the India-first production plan helps Apple mitigate prospective U.S. tariffs on China-made devices, even as key subassemblies still rely on China and are shipped to India for final assembly. India’s growing role in Apple’s supply chain follows years of incremental localization that began with the iPhone SE in 2017 and has expanded sharply since 2021. Apple assembled about $22 billion worth of iPhones in India in the 12 months through March 2025, accounting for roughly 20% of global iPhone production, according to local reports citing Bloomberg.
The company is also said to be working on a successor to the iPhone 16E, expected to be produced in India in early 2026 for the U.S. market, extending the India-based manufacturing strategy beyond the core flagship lineup.
Sources indicate that while Apple has not publicly commented, the coordinated ramp across Tata and Foxconn facilities underscores a structural rebalancing of its global manufacturing footprint ahead of the iPhone 17’s September release window.
Sources: Bloomberg via major outlets; coverage and corroboration by CNBC, CNET, The Verge, MacRumors, and Indian media.
