Apple to Manufacture All iPhone 17 Models in India Ahead of September Launch
PakkaHyderabadi 
Apple begins manufacturing all iPhone 17 models in India ahead of launch to avoid US tariffs on China-made products.
Apple is making all four of its upcoming iPhone 17 models in India ahead of the launch next month, marking the first time the company is producing every model outside China. This move comes as Apple tries to avoid higher tariffs imposed by former US President Donald Trump on products made in China.
The iPhones are being made in five factories in India. Half the production is handled by Tata Group at new plants in Tamil Nadu, while Taiwan’s Foxconn is manufacturing near Bangalore airport. Apple has not yet commented on this development.
The iPhone 17 launch is expected in September and might be the last traditional late-summer launch from Apple. The company reportedly plans a two-step rollout for its products in 2026.
India has now become the top maker of smartphones shipped to the US, with iPhone production in the country growing 63% in the second quarter of 2025. Apple has been shifting production to India to reduce the impact of US tariffs on goods made in China.
Sanyam Chaurasia, an analyst at Omdia, called this shift “a watershed moment” for smartphone manufacturing. While China will still be important for Apple’s flagship and base models, production is increasingly spreading to multiple countries, with India becoming a key player.
Earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said most of the iPhones bound for the US would be assembled in India to avoid tariffs. From early 2024 to early 2025, the number of US-bound iPhones made in India grew by 27%. However, China remains the main production site for iPhones shipped to markets outside the US.
Chaurasia explained that Apple is not abandoning China but is instead creating parallel supply chains, and India has emerged as the most important alternative manufacturing hub for the company.
