Apple starts producing flagship iPhone 14 in India

Apple has started assembling its flagship iPhone 14 models in India just weeks after its global launch on September 7, as the US tech giant looks to diversify to alternative markets outside China.

The company said on Monday that its global partner Foxconn is manufacturing the device in the Sriperumbudur facility near Chennai. The locally produced iPhone units will go on sale in the country later this year. “We’re excited to be manufacturing iPhone 14 in India,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement.

Apple began locally assembling smartphones in India in 2017, but until this year, the iPhone-maker has used the manufacturing facilities in India to assemble older generation handsets.

India has attracted investments from Apple manufacturing partners Foxconn and Wistron in recent years by offering attractive subsidies as the Narendra Modi government is going for a big push to develop the country as an electronics manufacturing hub.

As Apple expands its local manufacturing capacity in India, it is possible that the prices of handsets for consumers may also come down.The base iPhone 14 model, which is priced at $799 in the U.S., costs Rs 79,900 ($980) in India. Similarly, the entry iPhone Pro Max model costs $1,717 in India, compared to its $1,099 in the U.S.

Apple’s arch rival Samsung has the first mover advantage in India as it has already set up one of its largest factories in the country. Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, as well as its rivals Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus also locally assemble a number of their handsets in India.