Apple to Develop iPhone 17 in India by 2024, Up Proportion of Locally Made Phones to 25 Percent: Ming-Chi Kuo

Apple is planning to increase the proportion of iPhone units produced in India, according to details shared by TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a new blog post on Thursday, the analyst states that the Cupertino company is also working on developing the iPhone 17 — expected to launch in global markets in 2025 — in India starting in the second half of next year. Meanwhile, the company's production scale in two regions in China is expected to decline considerably in 2024.

In a Medium post, Kuo stated that Apple assembler Foxconn, which currently owns nearly 80 percent of the production lines for iPhone models in India, is expected to scale down its production in China next year by up to 45 percent and 85 percent in Zhengzhou and Taiyuan, respectively. Meanwhile, up to 14 percent of global iPhone units that are shipped globally — including the iPhone 15 — are currently produced in India — this number is expected to rise to between 20 percent and 25 percent by 2024, according to the analyst.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 is expected to be the first model to be developed outside China, according to Kuo. The company will start the new product introduction (NPI) process for the iPhone 17 in India, during the second half of 2024. In order to minimise design risk, the company has picked the standard model to be developed outside China, and the phone is expected to make its debut in global markets in the second half of 2025.

Last week, Taiwan's Wistron granted approval for the sale of its 100 percent indirect stake in Wistron InfoComm Manufacturing to Tata Electronics, for approximately $125 million (roughly Rs. 1,040 crore). Tata's acquisition of Wistron's production lines will make it the first Indian firm to assemble Apple's iPhone models in the country.

Kuo points out that the iPhone maker's move to make Tata one of its smartphone assemblers in India could help bolster the company's relationship with the government of India, and is "critical" to the company's growth over the next 10 years, according to Kuo. Tata will join Pegatron and Foxconn in producing currently supported iPhone units in the country.