Apple Grows Its India Roots as iPhone Output Surges 53% in 2025

Apple has dramatically ramped up iPhone production in India, with the country now responsible for building roughly one in every four iPhones sold worldwide, according to a Bloomberg report.

The tech giant assembled around 55 million iPhones in India in 2025, a 53% jump from the 36 million made there the year before. To put that in perspective, Apple produces somewhere between 220 and 230 million iPhones globally each year, meaning India's slice of that pie is growing fast.

The major drive of this growth is the trade war between the US and China. Tariffs on goods made in China have made it increasingly expensive for Apple to ship China-made iPhones to American customers. India offers a way around that, and the Indian government has been rolling out the welcome mat, offering financial incentives like the PLI scheme to manufacturers willing to set up shop in the country, the report added.

The government subsidies have helped level the playing field, because building phones in India is still more expensive than in China or Vietnam. Apple isn't alone in pushing for more support, Samsung is also in talks with the Centre for a fresh round of incentives. The timing is pressing, as India's current subsidy programme for smartphone makers runs out on March 31.

Apple's Indian manufacturing partners, Foxconn, Tata Electronics and Pegatron are now assembling the entire iPhone 17 lineup in the country, including the premium Pro and Pro Max models. Older models like the iPhone 15 and 16 are also made there for both local buyers and export.

Apple is also pushing deeper, working with local suppliers to manufacture components like battery cells, phone casings, and even AirPods.

Beyond production, Apple has its eye on Indian consumers. iPhone sales in the country have surged past $9 billion, and Apple is gearing up to launch Apple Pay in India later this year.

It now operates six retail stores in the country, signalling that India has become a major growth market, not just a manufacturing base.

The bottom line is that Apple is quietly but deliberately building India into its second major iPhone manufacturing hub, a strategic hedge against its heavy reliance on China.