6 hours Ago By Kahekashan
Apple is steadily advancing its plans to shift iPhone production for the US market to India, aiming for a significant transition by 2026. However, according to a new report, the move won’t be complete by then, and some key future models, especially the complex ones like the foldable iPhone, may still be manufactured in China through 2027. This production realignment comes as the US imposes a 145 percent tariff on imports from China, pushing companies like Apple to diversify their manufacturing hubs and reduce dependence on the country.
While Apple reportedly intends for all US-bound iPhones to be made in India by 2026, a new update hints that the process will be slower than initially expected. In his latest PowerOn newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman sheds light on why certain devices will still originate from China. “While Apple’s manufacturing in India has reached parity with China in terms of current iPhone quality, the 20-year anniversary models are extraordinarily complex.
They’ll require new parts and production techniques, making it far from a certainty that Apple will be able to build those outside of China. At some point, yes, but certainly not by the year 2027,” Gurman explains. Adding further context, Gurman notes that Apple has "never made a major new design outside of China" and doesn't expect that to change for the upcoming 20th anniversary iPhones.
"Apple won’t be able to make every US iPhone in India by 2027. I don’t see a scenario where 20 anniversary iPhones – foldable & glass-centric models – are made in India. Apple has never produced a major new design outside China for the first go-around," he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The 2027 iPhones are expected to be revolutionary, as Apple celebrates two decades since the iPhone’s original launch in 2007. Gurman believes that during the 2027 iPhone hardware event, Apple will introduce its first-ever foldable iPhone and a model featuring extensive use of glass. Given their "extraordinarily complex" designs, these premium devices are likely to come with a higher price tag, potentially exceeding ₹2 lakh, as previous reports have suggested for the foldable variant.
While India is rapidly growing as Apple’s manufacturing base, driven by the ongoing US-China trade tensions, the transition to make India the main hub for US iPhone production is still a massive undertaking. A recent report revealed that Apple currently produces about 20 percent of its global iPhones in India, and the figure would need to nearly double to meet 2026 targets. In 2023, Apple’s India production reached approximately $22 billion, and with the company aiming to shift nearly all US-bound iPhone production there, that number is poised for a significant surge in the coming years.
Even with the gradual shift, it’s clear that the most innovative and complex Apple devices—such as the foldable and glass-centric iPhones—will still rely heavily on the manufacturing expertise that Apple has long nurtured in China..
